


Slayers

by Piccolo999



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Buffy as a Potential, Buffy/Faith - Freeform, Eventual Romance, F/F, Faith as a Potential, Gen, Goth Buffy, Psycho Slayer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-20 04:43:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3637143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piccolo999/pseuds/Piccolo999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Buffy and Faith are two Potential Slayers caught in a war against an evil cult, known as Shadows, who are hell bent on eradicating the Watcher's Council. As if that wasn't enough, they also have to deal with their own issues, and their growing love for each other. Pairings: Buffy/Faith. Willow/Tara.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Slayer

Rupert Giles knelt before his charge, clasped his hands on both of her shoulders, and looked over the rim of his glasses into her deep brown eyes. He spoke firmly, but kindly.

'Listen to me, Faith. No matter what happens, you keep this door locked after I leave. You don't answer it. You don't open the curtains. You sit in the corner by the lamp and you read. Do not turn on the lights. Do not turn on the TV. Make this place look empty. No one can know you're here, do you understand?'

Faith bit her lip as she looked into her adoptive Father's eyes. 'But I can fight. You trained me. I'm going with you.'

Giles shook his head. 'No, dear. You're not ready.'

'I'm Fourteen!' Faith persisted stubbornly, trying to look tough.

'Exactly. You're not old enough for this fight. Not yet.'

Faith looked down, chewing on her bottom lip agitatedly.

'I know how you feel, Faith,' Giles went on. 'But I don't know what I'm going to find here. This new Slayer, she probably has no idea what is going on. If the Shadows have found her, things could get messy. I can't be worrying about you at the same time. I'm not ready for you to be in this fight. Do you understand?'

Faith nodded, holding back tears. 'Yes,' she whispered.

'Good,' Giles replied, relief flooding his features. He stroked Faith's cheek gently, and then stood. 'I'll be back soon. I promise.'

Giles had his hand on the door when Faith spoke again. 'You better.'

Giles turned to look at his daughter. He smiled. 'Remember what I said.'

Faith held up her book as her answer, and then Giles was gone, locking the motel room door behind him. Faith took a deep breath, and then went to sit in the corner of the room, curling her legs up underneath her. She opened the book, but cast one look back at the door, her fear written plain on her face.

 

Giles crouched outside of the new Slayer's house. He could see the light on inside the upstairs window, but the rest of the house appeared dark. Glancing up and down the street, he found no sign of anything out of the ordinary. It appeared to be a regular suburb, with whites picket fences, green hedges, and makeshift swings dangling from trees. He could see no out of place vehicles or ominous signs. Still, Giles had been doing this for many years now, and he was nothing if not cautious.

He needed to get inside quickly, convince the new Slayer of his good intentions, and get her to safety before anything had a chance to go wrong. It was no easy task, but Giles was used to it. Nothing was easy these days. Not since the Shadows appeared twelve years ago.

As for the new Slayer, she was an Unknown. Most Potentials were tracked from birth and recruited by the Watcher's Council to be trained for their potential destiny. However, some of them, those designated as Unknowns, slipped through the cracks and only became known once they were Called.

The young lady inside the house across the street was one such Unknown. Her name was Rebecca Layden, and if Giles couldn't get to her in time, she would be killed by the Shadows before she could even embrace her Calling, like so many before her.

Feeling as if he couldn't waste anymore time, Giles emerged from his cover and began to walk inconspicuously towards the house across the street. He kept his head still, but his eyes darted back and forth, looking for any motion from his peripheral vision. He kept one hand in his jacket pocket, said hand gripping a sharp, wooden stake. His other hand he kept free, in case he needed to reach for any of the other weapons he had stashed on his person, be that a potion from his belt, or the tranquilliser gun he had stuck in the back of his jeans.

The moon cast it's glow down on him as he made a quick dash around the side of the house. He peered in windows as he moved around to the back, but all was dark inside, which was not unusual for this time of night. He found the back door ajar, and suddenly his blood ran cold. He grabbed a flashlight from his belt and turned it on, stake now held out before him as he slowly crept into the house.

The light revealed to him a normal looking kitchen, but he wasn't reassured. He kept the light moving, searching every corner as he made his way through the kitchen and into the hall. Something glittered on the floor and he froze. He moved his light back, and caught sight of several shards of glass. They rested in a pool of dark, congealing blood.

He tightened his grip on the stake and kept moving, light swaying back and forth. More blood led him into the front room, where he froze in horror. Tied to a chair just in front of him, he found the grizzly remains of a middle-aged man. At least, Giles assumed the man to be middle-aged. He couldn't make out much of the man's features, due to the sheer amount of blood and gore covering him.

Taking a deep breath, Giles scanned the room with his light, and found another body, this one of a woman. She was hanging from the ceiling, tied with a noose around her neck to the light fixtures. Giles moved the hand holding the stake to his mouth in revulsion. Her insides spooled out towards the ground.

Feeling sick, Giles moved to the stairs. Was he too late? Had the Slayer already been killed?

He could see the light from upstairs as he climbed. It was coming from a room only a little way down the hall. He stopped at the top of the stairs and scanned both ways with his ray of light. There was no sign of anything, so he moved first towards the lit room. The door was slightly ajar, so he moved his eye to the crack and peered inside.

He could see nothing out of the ordinary, belying the tragedy downstairs. He opened the door slowly, revealing more of the room. The TV was on, but it was muted. Some cartoon played out silently as he edged into the room, turning his flashlight off.

A sob from the corner of the room sounded like a gunshot in the eerie silence. His head snapped to locate the sound, and he found a young teenaged girl huddled in the corner, crying. All caution forgotten, Giles rounded the bed between them and moved to close the distance.

He was almost on top of the girl when he pulled himself up short. It was all-wrong. The death downstairs. The single light on, like a beacon, luring him straight here. The lone girl, waiting for him. Waiting.

She moved so fast. Giles couldn't do anything as she struck, pushing him right in the chest, and sending him flying backwards into the wall. He hit with a crash and fell gasping to his knees. The girl laughed.

'Watcher,' a male voice intoned from the door.

Giles looked up, first at the girl, the Slayer, who was swaying slightly back and forth and grinning, and then over to the door. A Vampire stood in the doorway, his twisted features terrifying to behold.

'Do you remember me?' The Vampire asked casually, his horrific face calm.

Giles did. How could he forget the Vampire that killed his last Slayer? 'I do.' Giles hunched in on himself, acting more hurt than he was, and reached with a hidden hand to grab a potion from his belt.

'This time,' the Vampire began, 'your Slayer… is our Slayer.' For the first time, the Vampire smiled.

Giles narrowed his eyes. How could this be happening? He looked at the girl, the Slayer, Rebecca Layden. She turned her head at him, studying him as if he was a curious animal. For the first time, he noticed her bloody hands, and realisation dawned. Oh God, she had killed those people downstairs, ripped them apart with her bare hands.

'People these days are so rude, don't you think?' There was a moment of silence, as if the Vampire was waiting for a response. 'So,' he announced suddenly, almost jovially, 'before you die, I would like to introduce myself.' He strolled into the room with a cocky gait. 'When you meet the big man upstairs – if he even exists – tell him…' He leant down in front of Giles. 'Tell him, Angelus sent you.'

Angelus chuckled sadistically and straightened up. He turned to the Slayer and said, with a shrug, 'kill him.'

Before she could act, Giles smashed the potion on the ground. Neither the Slayer, nor Angelus, knew what hit them. The light was blinding. Giles, eyes closed, ran for the door, shouldering the stunned Angelus out of the way. He could hear both the Slayer and Angelus yelling behind him as he took the steps two at a time. He didn't look back as he slammed through the front door, breaking it off its hinges.

He ran as fast as his legs could take him, ran right for his car, parked just one block down. He wasn't even sure they were following him. He didn't stop until he got to his car and slammed the door shut behind him. Taking deep, ragged breaths, he started the engine and hit the pedal. Tires screeched as he sped off, high tailing it back to the motel, back to Faith.

It was time to get the hell out of town.

The Slayer, somehow, had been compromised. The Shadows had themselves a new weapon, their weapon, and now, the Watcher's Council was defenceless.


	2. A New Potential

A year passed, a year filled with more death and destruction than the Watcher's Council had seen before. The Rogue Slayer and the sadistic Vampire Angelus continued to wage war on them, killing any Potential over the age of thirteen, and kidnapping those under. If a Watcher got in the way, they were killed. Their numbers fell to dangerously low levels, and the Council back in London began to recruit new members, but they were just poor substitutes that couldn't replace men and women with years of training.

After that night, Giles took Faith and fled. They kept on the road for most of the year, living in motels along the way. Giles continued Faith's training when not actively pursuing other Potentials. Unfortunately, he was too late every time. The Potentials he did manage to find had all been slaughtered by the time he got to them, or had vanished like so many others. God knows what happened to those poor girls.

When not seeking Potentials or training Faith, Giles poured over his limited collection of books, seeking information, any information that would help him. He read each page thoroughly, looking for the name Angelus, or any mention of the Shadows or their founder. He found nothing, and not for the first time, wished for his old collection. His old collection, which had sadly been burnt to the ground nearly thirteen years ago, back when all this had started.

Lying in bed at night, he still remembered the screams, the smell of burning, the thick smoke choking him as his house was burnt to the ground with him still inside. Him, and his fiancé.

So much had been lost that night.

Just over a year after nearly being killed by Angelus and the Slayer, Giles got word from the Council that another Potential had been found. The Seers had located this one in a town called Sunnydale. She was one of the Unknowns that had fallen through the cracks, and if Giles couldn't get to her in time, she would be dead.

Her name was Buffy Summers.

 

'But I don't get why you can't just keep teaching me,' Faith complained. It was early in the morning, way too early for her. She was tired, grumpy, and so not used to being up at this hour.

Giles sighed from the other room. 'Because, Faith, not only will I not have the time, but we're supposed to be blending in. That means you and I must appear as normal as possible. Which means, you're going to school, so get dressed.'

Faith harrumphed and glared at the door separating them, arms crossed. She hadn't been to school since the day her parents had been killed and Giles had rescued her. Since then, he had been her tutor in every way, both in regular schoolin', and the martial kind. But now, apparently, they had to settle in for the long haul in Sunnydale. No more living life on the road, it was time to put down some roots.

It wasn't that Faith didn't like learning exactly. She was fine with it. She just didn't see why it had to change. She was doing fine learning from Giles. And she really didn't fancy going to school with a bunch of idiots that couldn't even see the war going on around them. What the hell was she supposed to talk to them about? All she knew was violence and death. All they knew were parties and football games. Waste of fuckin' time, if you asked her.

When Giles emerged from his bedroom, Faith snorted, her eyes going wide. 'What the fuck are you wearin'?'

Giles narrowed his eyes at her and pursed his lips in disapproval, straightening his tweed suit. 'If I am to be the new Librarian, I must look the part.'

Faith shook her head in disbelief. She was used to Giles wearing simple clothes, a white t-shirt and scruffy blue jeans his staple - that suit though, my god. 'You look like a total dork!'

Giles ignored the insult. 'Faith, get dressed. I won't tell you again.' He brushed past her on his way downstairs. Faith watched him go with a bemused smile.

Giving in to his command, she walked down the hall to her room to get dressed. Her room was totally Spartan, containing only her suitcase and a bed. It was all she owned, and all she really needed. Her suitcase lay open in the corner of the room, and Faith picked out the least crumpled clothes from the jumble there to wear on her first day back to school, not really caring what people would think of her. Her outfit consisted of a simple pair of hip hugging tight black jeans and an equally tight white tank top.

Back downstairs; Giles was sorting a few papers into a briefcase. He looked up as she jumped the last few steps to land at the base of the stairs. 'Ready to go?'

Faith grabbed her backpack and hoisted it over one shoulder. 'Ready as I'll ever be, I guess.'

'It won't be so bad,' Giles said reassuringly. 'Besides, you're not just going to learn. You've got another Potential to befriend.'

'Yay fun,' Faith said, half-jokingly.

'Come on.' Giles ushered her out the door, locking it behind him. Faith strolled casually to the car whilst Giles used a potion to secure the house even further. It wouldn't stop intruders, but it would let them know if someone did break in.

Giles started the car and slowly pulled out onto the road. Faith stretched her legs out and leant her head against the window, closing her eyes, feeling the sun on her face. They drove in silence for several minutes, before Faith opened her eyes and sat up, looking across at Giles.

'So, what's this chicks name again?'

'Buffy Summers,' Giles replied, not taking his eyes off the road.

'Right, yeah, Buffy,' Faith said, emphasis on the name. 'What a stupid name! You sure she's a Potential?'

'Agatha is never wrong,' Giles reminded her.

'Yeah, but,' Faith trailed off, and then, stressing the name again, said, 'Buffy!'

Giles made a sound of non-committal.

'So you want me to get all buddy-buddy with her?'

'Yes,' Giles said. 'Get close to her; see how receptive she might be to her potential destiny. Do not tell her anything. Just test the waters. The rest, I will handle.'

'Shouldn't we just, you know, tell her, snatch her and get the hell out of here? I mean, sticking around here is probably not a good idea, right? That Angelus prick is still hunting us, and he has the Slayer as his little puppet, right? Keeping on the move, that's what's kept us alive so far. Right?' With every "right", Faith put even more weight on the word.

'We can't just kidnap her, Faith.'

'Even if it's for her own good?'

'She has a family,' Giles reminded her softly.

Right, a family. Faith looked out the window, thinking back to that night five years ago.

'I'm sorry,' Giles said, reaching out with his hand to grasp her shoulder sympathetically.

Faith shrugged him off. 'Nah, G. It's fine. They were dicks anyway.'

Giles pulled his hand back, unable to find words. He remembered that night as well. How he had rescued Faith from the wreckage of her own home, but not before she had seen her mother and father ripped apart before her very eyes.

They travelled the rest of the way in silence until they pulled onto the Sunnydale High parking lot. Faith took a deep breath before she got out of the car. She took a look around, seeing all of the students and faculty making their way into the school. So many people, so blissfully unaware of how much danger surrounded them. She was at the same time envious of them and scornful.

'Faith.' Giles got her attention. 'Let's go.'

'Yeah, sure.'

Together, they walked into the school.

 

Giles and Faith met with the Principal, a man named Snyder who took one look at Faith and immediately judged her as a troublemaker. He was clearly annoyed at having to accommodate both Giles and Faith into his school, but despite it's reduced numbers, the Watcher's Council still held pull. Enough pull to get Giles this job, and to get Faith, who lacked a regular education, a position as a freshman.

After that uncomfortable meeting, Giles went to check out the library. Faith was given her schedule by the receptionist and a basic map of the grounds. It was time to blend in.

It didn't take her long to figure out that her education by Giles had been more than enough to keep her ahead of the game. Most of the topics discussed she was intimately familiar with, and so she found herself spacing out during classes. When Lunch came, Faith put her ear to the ground as she wandered the cafeteria, listening out for any mention of a girl named Buffy Summers. She heard nothing that would help her, just inane chatter.

Faith took a seat in the corner of the cafeteria and picked at the "food" assembled on her plate. Her eyes scanned the crowd, taking everything in. She quickly rooted out the obvious clicks, dorks, jocks, etcetera. One girl caught her attention, as she was also sitting alone in the opposite corner, head down, staring morosely at her food. The girl wore tight leather pants and a black top with a faded skull emblem on the front. When the girl looked up and caught her staring, she glared with her black lined eyes.

Faith looked away, feeling embarrassed to have been caught staring. However, she couldn't stop her eyes from flicking up and sneaking another peek at the goth girl. She ran her eyes over the other girl admiringly. Damn, she was hot. As if she could feel Faith's eyes on her, the girl glared again, before shoving her tray away and walking briskly out of the cafeteria. Faith couldn't help herself; she stared at the girls leather clad ass, trying to imprint the image in her memory for later.

With a sigh, sick of the terrible food and feeling like this was getting her nowhere, Faith got up and left the cafeteria. Using the map, she made her way to the library. She pushed open the double doors, expecting to find students milling around, or sat at desks studying, Giles busy checking books out, or something. Instead she found the dead zone. The doors whoomped shut behind her, sounding really loud in the silence of the room. Giles popped his head out from behind the stacks, his face expectant, but sighed when he saw it was just Faith.

'Oh, it's just you,' he said, running a hand through his hair.

'Wow, thanks G,' Faith replied mockingly, ambling in and checking the deserted place out.

'You know I didn't mean it like that,' Giles replied, coming down from the stacks with a few books in hand.

'Anything good?'

Giles looked at the books, exhaled noisily, and put them on the counter. 'No. I was hoping for at least a few accurate tomes to have made their way into the collection, but so far…' he trailed off, shaking his head.

'Not surprising. This is a school library,' Faith pointed out.

'Indeed.' Giles took off his glasses and polished them, a gesture Faith had seen enough times that she barely even noticed it anymore. 'How are your classes going?'

'Boring,' Faith said, blowing air out of her mouth. 'You're a much better teacher.'

Giles smiled. 'Stick with it.'

'Yeah-yeah.'

'And your search for Miss Summers?'

'No luck on the B front,' Faith said, hopping up onto the counter and crossing her legs. Giles gave her a disapproving look for mistreating the furnishings, but she ignored it. 'It's a big school G. How am I supposed to find one girl in all this girly mess?'

'Keep trying.'

'I…' But Faith was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening and then shutting. Both Giles and Faith turned to see a red headed girl coming in. She was dressed like an exploded rainbow.

Giles cleared his throat with a smile. 'Welcome, my name is Mr. Giles, can I help you?'

'Oh, h-hi,' the meek little thing replied, smiling bashfully. It was kinda cute. 'I'm Willow. I was just… I need to return these…' She held out two books.

'Of course,' Giles replied, taking the books. He scuttled around the counter.

Faith waved casually. ''Sup?'

'H-hi,' Willow repeated, looking slightly intimidated by Faith.

Before Faith could say anything else, Giles made a surprised sound. Faith looked over her shoulder at him questioningly. He held up one of the books Willow was returning, which was titled Theories on Witchcraft. They both looked at Willow at the same time.

Willow looked between them, seeming even more nervous now. 'W-what is it?'

Faith hopped down off the counter and moved surreptitiously to block the door. Giles held up the book to show Willow. 'Interesting reading material,' he commented.

'O-oh, y-yes,' Willow said anxiously. 'I find it, uh, fascinating… the theories, and… everything…'

'Ever cast a spell?' Faith asked her with a raised eyebrow.

'W-what?' Willow looked at her with wide eyes. 'No! I mean, it's just… stories, right?'

Giles and Faith shared a look. This girl clearly was not a practising witch. They both relaxed slightly.

'Quite right,' Giles said, putting the book back down and giving her a reassuring smile. 'All done. Can I help you with anything else?'

'Erm, n-no, that's okay,' Willow said, still looking a little afraid. She started to back up towards the doors, and then practically ran through them. Giles signalled to Faith that she should go talk to Willow.

'Fine,' Faith sighed and followed after the girl, catching up with her in the corridor. 'Hey, wait up.'

Willow jumped.

'Didn't get a chance to introduce myself,' Faith continued. 'Name's Faith.'

'H-hi, Faith,' Willow replied, glancing around as if looking for help.

'Relax girl,' Faith said, in her most soothing manner, which, granted, wasn't that soothing. 'I'm new, you know? Don't really know anyone here. Do me a favour and hang with me for a bit?'

Willow looked at her with wide eyes. 'You want to hang with me?'

'That a crime?'

'T-to some, yeah.'

Faith laughed. 'I've always been a bit of rebel, I can handle the heat.'

Willow remained silent, apparently unable to think of a way to respond to that.

'I was just teasin' ya, you know?' Faith nodded her head back towards the library. 'Back there, I mean. About the whole spell thing.'

'Oh.' Willow laughed with relief. 'Of course. Spells.' She laughed again, as if it was ridiculous, but Faith sensed maybe the girl was more interested in the idea than she was letting on, as if she wished it were true.

'So, can we hang?' Faith held her hands out to either side, as if to say, "look, I'm unharmed".

'Y-yeah,' Willow stammered, smiling shyly up at Faith. It really was adorable.

'Great, you are wicked cool Red.'

Willow blushed and looked at her shoes as they continued walking down the corridor.

'Yo, where we headin'?'

'I'm just going to meet some f-friends… do you want to come?' Willow added that last bit softly.

'Why the hell not?' Faith replied, thinking the more people she could befriend, the easier it'd be to find Buffy Summers. Hell, maybe she was one of Red's friends. She wasn't, but Faith wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

As they came out of the school onto the grounds, the sun shone directly into Faith's eyes, and she turned her head to avoid the glare. She just so happened to catch sight of the girl from before, sitting by herself again, this time on a low stonewall, carving something into the stone with a little pocket knife.

'Hey,' Faith said, getting Willow's attention. 'That girl… who is she?'

Willow followed her gaze.

'The one sitting on the wall. Black hair. With the knife.'

'Oh. That's Buffy Summers.'

Bingo.


	3. Fuck The World

You live alone. You die alone. Those where the words Buffy Summers lived by, and if life had taught her anything, it was that getting attached to people only led to one thing, and that was getting hurt.

She was eleven years old the day she walked in on her father having sex with a woman that was definitely not her mother. He had found her later, and warned her not to tell her mother what she had seen, but she knew that to do that would be wrong. She told her mother, they promptly got divorced, and Joyce and Buffy moved miles away from him, to Sunnydale. But her dad had been right, after all. He had warned her, but she hadn't listened. Not only had she destroyed her relationship with her father, the relationship between her parents, but she had also ruined the one between herself, and her mom.

Her mother never said it outright, but Buffy saw it behind her eyes, every time she looked at her. The words might never have been spoken out loud, but Buffy heard them clear as day. "Why did you tell me?" "Why couldn't you let me go on believing him?" "Why did you ruin my life?"

And so Buffy grew up, with an absentee father and a mother that secretly hated her. She fell in with "the wrong crowd" and spiralled out of control, embracing the chaos that was her life. The years went by and she got into more and more trouble, like a vicious cycle, but feeling none of it. She was emotionally numb, and she preferred it that way.

 

Buffy's alarm clock rang out obnoxiously, shattering her slumber. She groaned from underneath her blankets and reached out to shove the thing off her bedside table. It clattered to the floor, but unfortunately didn't break, and continued to ring. Then her mom started screaming at her from downstairs.

'Nnnggg,' Buffy moaned incoherently and tried to suck the covers around her, in a vain attempt to form a seal and drown out the noise.

'Buffyyyyy!' Her mom yelled. After getting no response for several minutes, Buffy heard her coming up the stairs, each step a stomp, until finally her door was thrown open and Joyce snatched the covers away from her. Buffy fought it, but she was too tired and eventually she was completely exposed to the chill morning air. 'Buffy! Get up! Right this instant. I will not tell you again!'

'Ugh,' Buffy groaned, and rolled over, trying to ignore her mom.

Joyce stood there for several seconds, but then gave up with a sigh and left the room. Buffy knew she'd be back though, and feeling the chill, she decided she might as well get up. She stumbled over to her mirror and looked at her reflection. Her dyed black hair was a mess. There was a crease right down her face from sleeping funny. Great. She made her way to the bathroom, thoroughly scrubbing her face with cold water to further wake herself up.

Feeling slightly more awake, she began her morning routine. Her mom shouted her several more times before finally she came downstairs, decked out in tight leather pants, her favourite skull t-shirt, and her ex-boyfriends leather jacket. She had dumped him after getting bored and when he tried to get his stuff back, she had promptly told him to fuck off. She loved this jacket. The wimp had looked like he might cry, but she didn't care. Really, she didn't. She knew he wouldn't challenge her.

Her mother looked up from her breakfast and her face instantly transformed into the scowl she always wore when she looked at her. 'Buffy,' she said, in that disapproving tone.

'What!?' Buffy snapped.

Joyce went to respond, but Buffy cut her off before she could, not wanting to hear how disappointed her mother was, or how judgemental she was going to be, or just, whatever.

And so she said, 'Whatever Joyce,' waving her off. Buffy grabbed a piece of toast off her mom's plate, and did an about turn as she left the kitchen, called behind her as she left. 'Don't wait up!'

'Buffy!' Joyce snapped, but the only reply she got was the front door slamming shut. She pulled her hands through her hair in aggravation and then let out a weary sigh.

Buffy was walking down the street, heading in the schools general direction, when Nate came up behind her on his motorbike. He revved his engine at her as he pulled over. She stopped to admire his new paintjob, a dragon breathing flames at the back wheel.

'Hey Buff,' he said, obviously checking her out.

'Hey,' she replied offhandedly, more interested in the bike than him.

'Need a ride?' he asked.

Nate wasn't what she'd call a friend. In fact, she wouldn't label anyone an actual friend. The people she knew she mostly just considered acquaintances. Some were more useful than others. Like Nate, he was a speed freak, completely obsessed with motorbikes and girls, so it was easy to manipulate him into giving her rides to school. Not that she always went to school, but it was handy if she was so inclined.

Today? 'Why the hell not?' she said, and hopped on behind him. She put her arms around his waist and her mouth near his ear. 'Try not to crash stud,' she said breathily, knowing it would drive him wild. It was what he wanted, after all.

Nate grinned and put pedal to the metal.

 

School was kind of boring, but Buffy supposed it was necessary. If she ever wanted to get out of this town and away from her mother, she would need some kind of education. Even if she sometimes didn't go, so her attendance record was splotchy, at best, and even if she sometimes got in trouble for fighting or whatever, she was still smarter than most of the students in Sunnydale High. She picked things up quickly, and if she ever missed anything important, she could always go to Willow for a quick pick me up.

Willow Rosenberg was the one person Buffy considered to actually be smarter than her, and, if she was fair, it was by quite a margin. The little red head was a bit of nerd – scratch that, she was a huge nerd – but if she was totally honest – read: if you tortured the information out of her – Buffy would admit that she actually, kind of, liked the other girl. Not in a big way, but if she was in trouble, she would definitely lend her a hand. She wasn't going to be hanging out, having sleepovers, and braiding the nerd's hair anytime soon though.

It was just your every day, normal school day for Buffy, at least until lunch. She was sitting in the cafeteria minding her own business when some chick she didn't know started staring at her from across the room. She felt the girl's eyes on her before she looked up and caught her staring. The other girl looked away quickly, and Buffy noticed the slight blush on her face. Was she checking her out or something?

Ostensibly, Buffy went back to looking at her dubious food, but she kept one eye on the weird girl, studying her. She had her brown hair tried up in a ponytail, was dressed pretty simply for a girl, and looked quite athletic, like she could handle herself in a fight. Buffy could see the muscles in her arms as she raised a spoon full of slop to her mouth and the hard definitions of her stomach through the girl's tight tank top. Verdict? Kind of a Tomboy. She also noticed that this girl was still checking her out. Every now and then, her eyes would flick to Buffy and then away.

It was really annoying, so Buffy made sure the girl saw her when she gave her a mean death glare, and then shoved her tray away and stormed out of the cafeteria. Couldn't a girl eat in piece now without some freaky dyke checking her out? God!

Buffy first went to her locker. Her jacket was still safely inside, too warm for her to wear right now, but what she wanted was within. She grabbed her little knife from the inside pocket and slipped it discreetly into the waistband of her leather pants.

Once outside, Buffy made her way over to a low stonewall. It was part of the courtyards garden, a raised bed of flowers and shrubbery. There was also a large palm tree, which shielded her nicely from the bright sun of California. All in all, it was the perfect spot for a little bit of vandalism.

Buffy traced her fingers along the stone, finding the deep indents of her previous work. She pulled out her knife and flipped it open. The blade was black like the handle, coated in titanium and super hard. It wasn't going to break anytime soon. She found the spot she had left off, and began to saw, back and forth, running the blade into the groove she had already created, and then back out, extending it. When it was done, the message would be perfectly clear. Once she finished the "D", it would read, "FUCK THE WORLD".

Buffy was so caught up in her work that she didn't see Faith and Willow emerge from the school. She also didn't see Principal Snyder walking up behind her, at least not until he was right there, leaning into her face and speaking in that toady voice of his.

'Miss Summers.'

She looked up, acting blasé, while in her head she screamed, fuck!

Snyder crooked a finger at her and spoke slowly. 'Come. With. Me.'

Just fuckin' fantastic, Buffy thought, getting up to follow him.

 

In the Principals office, Snyder examined her blade, turning it this way and that in his hands. He didn't say anything. Neither did Buffy. Her mom was on the way to pick her up from yet another suspension, and potential expulsion. As it stood, she was going to be suspended for two weeks, pending a meeting to decide her ultimate fate.

It was safe to say Buffy was pissed. She hadn't even been doing anything all that wrong. Okay, she was being a vandal, so what? It wasn't like she was threatening anyone with it. She raged inside, wanting to vent at the mean spirited rodent across the desk from her - who was no doubt loving every second of this - but she knew if she did she would just make things worse for herself. She had to try and remain clam. It wasn't easy.

Finally, Joyce came into the room, looking furious. She immediately sent Buffy outside while she talked to Snyder. Buffy looked at her, feeling betrayed, as she left the room. She found a seat outside; ignoring the scandalous look the secretary was giving her, and listened to her mom and Snyder talking from the other room. She couldn't hear the exact words, but the tone was clear as day. Disappointment.

When her mom at last emerged from the devil's den, all she said was, 'Buffy. In the car. Now!'

Feeling tired and miserable, Buffy couldn't find it in herself to fight. She got up and trudged along after her mom, who seemed to not even want to walk with her. She would occasionally look back to make sure Buffy was still following, but that was it.

She flinched as her mom slammed the car door in her face.

She thought of all the things she could say to defend herself on the ride home, but said none of them. What was the point? Her mom had already decided her guilt.

She meekly obeyed her mother when she told her to go to her room.

She sat on her bed and waited, staring at the wall, picturing Snyder's face, and her first connecting with it over and over again, until it was a bloody mess.

She stared at her piece of shit alarm clock and counted the minutes.

At ten, she climbed out of her window.


	4. Bronzing It Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so it's clear, yes this is a Buffy/Faith story, but it's going to be a pretty long one. I hope you all stick with it.

Faith watched as Buffy was led away by the Principal. What perfect timing, she thought sarcastically, annoyed.

'Why do you a-ask?' Willow questioned, looking at Faith, who in turn still had her eyes on Buffy, at least until she disappeared into the school with Synder.

'Huh?' Faith turned to face Willow. 'Oh.' She had to think quickly for a reasonable explanation. 'I just noticed her earlier… and she was glaring at me, for some reason. Made me curious.'

'Oh.' Willow paused, as if uncertain what to say next. Finally, she said, very quietly, 'she's not so bad.' As if she was afraid speaking it too loud would summon a horde of Vampires or something.

Faith became immediately interested. Willow was not the type of girl she expected to see hanging around with someone like Buffy Summers. At least, that's how it appeared to her, just going off of surface impressions. Willow was a nice, quiet, shy girl. Buffy seemed the exact opposite, anti-authority and in your face with her whole being.

'Are you friends?'

'I… don't know about that,' Willow said, looking kind of sad all of a sudden. 'Buffy doesn't really… have friends, I don't think.'

'No friends?' Faith found that hard to believe. Didn't everyone have at least one friend?

'Well, she hangs around with a bunch of different people, but… I-I just get the impression that, if you asked her, she wouldn't call them friends.'

'Why do you think that?'

'I help her study sometimes,' Willow said. 'And not because she's not smart or anything. She's actually pretty clever. But she misses school occasionally, and when she does, she usually comes to me and asks for me to help fill her in on what she missed.'

'Point Red?' What she had to say was fascinating, of course. She never would have pegged Buffy Summers as a smart girl. More of a held back several years kinda girl. But she had asked a specific question, and Willow seemed to be going off on a tangent.

'Sorry.' Willow blushed a bit. 'Why do I think she doesn't have friends?'

Faith nodded her confirmation.

'Well, like I said, she knows a lot of people, and hangs with them sometimes, but she doesn't have that core group that everyone has, right? Like me, I have Tara and Xander and Jesse. I know a few other people, and hang with them occasionally, but mostly it's just… Tara, Xander, and Jesse. But Buffy doesn't have that. She has this bunch of random people that she kind of knows and then, that's it. She's… alone, a lot. Like today before… you know… she was just sitting by herself.'

'She does that a lot?'

'Yeah.'

So Buffy's a loner, Faith thought. The Council would be happy. They always did like their Slayers to be solitary creatures. They claimed it kept them focused. Faith wasn't entirely convinced it was true though.

'Anyway,' Faith said, changing the subject. She would figure out Buffy Summers later. 'Aren't your friends waiting?'

'Oh, yeah,' Willow replied. She gestured to the left. 'It's this way.'

Faith followed Willow along the path, around the corner and over to a picnic table situated on the grass. Other tables were dotted around as well, some of them surrounded by students, others empty. There was a guy lying on the table Willow led her to, throwing a ball up into the air and catching it before it hit him in the face. A lanky guy stood to one side, talking to a blonde haired girl who was sat on the bench.

'Hi guys,' Willow said, with a little wave, and a smile on her face.

'Will, oh man, am I glad to see you,' the guy lying on the table said, catching his ball and moving to sit up, his feet coming to rest on the bench. 'You took notes in Mr. Finch's class, right?'

'Why?'

'Erm, I may have… fallen asleep… just a bit.' He smiled sheepishly.

'Xander!' Willow exclaimed, disapprovingly.

'Hey, it's not my fault,' Xander argued. 'It was all warm in there. And the sun was shinning in my eyes. And the desk just looked so comfy! I couldn't help it!'

Willow continued to look sternly at him. Faith found herself smiling, watching the exchange between the two of them. It was clear they were very close. The familiarity, the back and forth, it felt like family. Like what she had with Giles.

'You forgot to mention Finch's droning voice would put even the most dedicated student to sleep,' the other guy said, smirking.

Willow glared at him. 'That's not true at all. I didn't fall to sleep.'

'You're the exception that proves the rule,' he replied. 'Besides, I'm more interested in who this is.' He turned his attention to Faith, leaning casually against the table, obviously trying to look cool. He was… less than successful.

'Right,' Willow said, as if suddenly remembering that Faith was there. 'Guys, this is Faith. Faith, that's Xander,' she gestured to the guy sitting on the table, 'Jesse,' the guy trying to be Casanova, 'and Tara.'

Tara smiled shyly from behind her curtain of hair.

'Hey,' Xander said, tossing his ball nonchalantly.

'You're the new girl, right?' Jesse asked.

'Shiny like a new penny,' Faith said.

'Is it true you've never been to school before? You travelled around with your dad? Come on; give us the details, we wanna know. You must have exciting stories. Highway adventures? Romantic flings with random guys?'

The stories Faith could have told him. He would piss his pants, she thought.

'Jesse,' Willow said, her tone scolding. 'I'm sure Faith didn't come here looking to get interrogated.'

'Nah, it's cool,' Faith said. 'Last time I was in school properly was when I was ten. After that… yeah, I travelled with my dad. Now we're here. He taught me stuff. Not much to tell, really.'

'Why'd you leave school?' Xander asked.

Faith remember the massacre of her family, saw her piece of shit father having his throat ripped out by a Vampire, saw her mother being feasted on by a gang of four flesh eating V'angar demons. She blinked, wishing the images away.

'I just did.'

Xander looked slightly taken aback by her abrupt tone.

Willow, sensing how uncomfortable Faith was with this line of questioning, quickly intervened, getting everyone's attention. 'Xander, you should really start paying more attention in class.'

Xander gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

Willow sighed. 'Fine, you can borrow my notes.'

'You're the best, Will!' Xander hopped up and gave her an exaggerated hug, picking her up and spinning her around. Willow giggled and slapped at him half-heartedly.

'Put me down, put me down.'

Faith noticed Tara watching with an anguished look. When the shy girl noticed she was caught, she blushed bright red and stared at the ground, as if she had suddenly discovered something interesting on the end of her shoes. Faith looked back as Xander put Willow down. Tara obviously fancied one of them, but which one?

'So hey,' Jesse said, 'we bronzing it up tonight?' He did a dorky little dance.

'I'm game,' Xander said. Willow gave him a disapproving look again, although Faith was pretty sure it wasn't really serious. She was beginning to sense a familiar routine to their conversation. Xander held up his hands, surrendering. 'Bring your notes and I'll study them there. Promise.'

'Fine,' Willow replied, apparently giving in, although she couldn't keep the small smile from her face. 'Tara?'

Tara looked up, looking surprised. She clearly hadn't been listening, perhaps too busy mentally admonishing herself for having been caught earlier.

'Bronze? Tonight?' Willow asked.

Tara gave a short nod of assent. Faith was beginning to wonder if the girl could actually speak. She was so shy, much shyer than Willow. But then, thinking back on it, Willow had been acting much more confident since meeting up with her friends. She hadn't stammered once the entire time. Faith figured she must just feel safer around her friends.

'Faith? Do you want to come?' Willow asked.

'Yeah, you should totally come,' Jesse said, way too eagerly. Desperate much? You're barking up the wrong tree kid, Faith thought.

'That depends,' Faith said, 'what the fuck is Bronze?'

'The Bronze,' Xander clarified. 'It's a club. Nothing fancy, but it's pretty much the only place to hang out in Sunnydale.'

Faith had to think about it. She wasn't really what she'd call a social bunny. Living on the road with Giles, she hadn't had friends in five years. She hadn't felt the need for them. Her life was much too serious for that kind of shit. It was life or death for her, every second of every day, for five whole years. Going out to a club? Not really on her need to do list.

That being said, she felt this little feeling inside, tugging at her. She was actually enjoying her time spent with Willow and Xander. Jesse seemed like a total pervy goofball, but she guessed he wasn't too bad. He was so dorky that he seemed kind of harmless. Tara, she really had no opinion on, yet. The girl was just too shy for Faith to get a good read on her.

'Yeah, sure, why not?' Faith found herself saying. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason she just… wanted to go. Maybe because being here, in school, surrounded by kids her own age, had brought back all of those normal schoolgirl feelings. On the road, it had been easy to dismiss, because she never had the opportunity to go out and hang with friends. But Faith found that she actually had missed this. Having friends.

Sure, these kids had no idea what the world was really like, but that didn't make them bad people. And it might be a good idea for her to tag along. The thought of Willow being sucked dry by a Vampire flashed through her head. The idea pissed her off. If she went, then, at least maybe she could stop it.

Giles is so not going to happy about this, Faith thought.

 

He wasn't.

'Faith, you know how dangerous it is out there,' Giles argued. Faith had waited until they got home to spring the news on him. She hadn't exactly asked, but he seemed to think she was. It wasn't that she didn't trust and respect him, because she did. He was her dad, more than her biological father ever had been. But she wasn't the same kid he had rescued from death, or worse. She was a grown woman now. She knew how to take care of herself, and she felt like he was still treating her like a baby. She had to make him see reason, and this was a good way of doing so.

'I know,' Faith admitted, 'but I'm not a kid anymore. You trained me, G. I can take care of myself. And look, it's not like I'm going to be wandering the streets, whistling at the top of my lungs and dancing around, trying to get a Vamps attention. I'm going out with some… friends… and we're going to stick together, go straight to the club, stay there for a bit, and then come straight home.'

'No, Faith,' Giles began, 'it's just too dangerous. Even in a club, and with your friends, it's still dangerous. You're not a Slayer. You're just a girl.'

'A girl you trained to fight!'

'But still just a girl!'

'Fuck!' Faith swore, turning around and wanting to throw the lamp against the wall. Why wouldn't he just give her a chance?

'Faith.' Giles had that warning tone in his voice, his dad voice.

Faith sighed. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I know it's dangerous.' She turned to face him again. 'And I get that you're worried. It's good that you are. But I'm fifteen, Dad. And I… I actually like these guys, okay. And I'm worried that if I'm not there, something bad will happen to them, and I'll hate myself for not being there to help them. To save them, like you saved me.'

Giles softened. Faith only ever called him dad when she was serious.

'And you said we need to blend in,' Faith pointed out. 'I'm trying to blend in, like a normal kid. Normal kids go out with their friends.'

Giles took off his glasses and polished them, thinking. She had a point, loathe as he was to admit it. He had said that, and she was trying to be reasonable. She had always been an unruly child, ever since he had met her. His training had helped, taught her discipline and control, but every now and then she slipped. He knew she had been close to breaking, but she had pulled herself back from it. She was growing up.

'Promise me you will be careful,' he finally said, deciding it was time he started trusting her more, giving her more responsibilities.

'I promise.' Faith smiled happily, seeing things turning her way.

'And you will stay with your friends the entire time. None of you will go off on your own?'

'I promise, G.'

'Very well,' Giles said, giving his full blessing. 'Take a stake with you, and some potions, just in case.'

'Thanks,' Faith said, giving him a quick hug.

 

The Bronze was bit of a dump.

The club was located inside an old warehouse, which had been renovated at some point to include a stage for live bands to play and an upper floor with a balcony overlooking the stage for increased capacity. At one point, Faith assumed the club was sparkling clean and modern, but that day has passed. The décor was old and worn down, the paint on the walls was peeling, and the stage looked like it might collapse at any time. Despite all that, Faith was having fun.

She was sat with Willow, Xander and Tara in this little nook off to the side of the dance floor. Someone had brought in what looked like old thrown out furniture, couches, cushions, a rickety little coffee table and several little pouffes, and arranged them in the alcove, making a make-shift living room in the club.

They sat chatting, watching as Jesse made his way around the dance floor, systematically being shot down by each girl he approached. It was pretty funny, in a sad kind of way. He would dance on up to them, say a few words, promptly get shot down, and then dance on off again, still with that dorky smile on his face. Say what you want about the guy, but he was persistent.

'Does he ever give up?' Faith asked, gesturing to Jesse, who was currently trying to appease an apparent boyfriend of the girl he just hit on.

'Jesse?' Xander asked for confirmation, although it wasn't really necessary. Who else would she be talking about? He seemed to realise the stupidity of that question, and answered her 'Nah, he's like a dog after a bone.'

'I think he already has the bone,' Faith quipped, 'and he's just looking to give it to someone.'

Willow and Tara blushed, looked at each other, reddened even further, and then looked away. Xander just laughed out loud. 'You have a point.'

'He's just lonely,' Willow chimed in, trying to defend her friend.

'Relax Red,' Faith said, 'I'm just jokin'.'

'I know,' Willow replied. 'But it's… it really sucks to be lonely like that. You can have all the friends in the world, but if you have no one to… to treat you special…' Faith noticed Willow's eyes flicker to Tara momentarily. 'It just sucks,' she finished, kind of lamely, as if she wanted to say more, but didn't want to give anything away.

Faith made a mental note. It seemed like Willow had a thing for Tara. The question became, was it reciprocated? Faith eyed up Tara, trying to get a read on the quiet girl. Tara's eyes glanced up at her, widened, and then darted off to the side.

Faith turned her attention back to Willow. 'I think Jesse's intentions are a little more… base than that. And hey, there's no problem with that. We're teenagers, yo. Horniness is kind of our thing.'

The conversation was interrupted as Jesse came dancing up to them. He stopped by Faith, and apparently having tried every other girl the club, tried his luck with her. 'So, er, Faith… you wanna dance?'

Faith weighed up her options. She didn't want to lead the poor guy on, but dancing did sound like fun. It was time she put her moves into practice. And perhaps, if he was seen out on the dance floor with her, it might help him score with someone else.

'Sure, why not.' Faith stood, grabbed his hand, and pulled him along, calling backwards. 'Back in a bit guys.'

Jesse stumbled along, apparently surprised he was successful. Faith stopped them in the middle of the dance floor and put her arms around his neck. He smiled self-consciously at her, standing stock-still. She began to move her hips a little.

'You gonna dance or what?' Faith teased him.

'Oh, right,' he said. He started to move back and forth. Poor guy, he was white as a sheet.

'Relax doofus,' Faith said, 'we're just dancing. You're not gettin' lucky.'

'Huh?' Jeese looked confused.

'I bat for the other team,' Faith said pointedly.

'Oh… huh?'

Faith rolled her eyes. She leant in and whispered, as if it was a secret. 'I'm gay.'

'Oh.' Jesse exclaimed, and then his eyes widened as he realised what she had just said. 'Oh!'

'Yeah, so don't get all flustered. I'm just trying to help you out a little.'

'Help me? How?'

'Let's make all these girls jealous, yeah?' Faith said wickedly, wagging her eyebrows at him.

Jesse smiled wide. 'Cool.' He paused, thinking. 'How do we do that?'

'We get down and dirty,' Faith replied.

Jesse swallowed hard.

'Just follow my lead.'

Faith wasn't trying to be arrogant or anything, but she knew she was hot. Even dressed simply, in a tight pair of jean shorts and a black tank top, she knew she blew most of the other girls here out of the water. They could dress up as much as they wanted, paint their faces like hookers, but Faith had a natural hotness that was hard to ignore, what with her athletic body and killer legs. Sure, she didn't know shit about applying make-up. Her education really hadn't covered that crap. But when she looked in the mirror, she saw a girl that didn't need make-up to impress. So she was fairly confident that she could get the other girls in the Bronze to take notice of Jesse just by dancing with him.

Faith pulled Jesse closer, swaying her hips with much more enthusiasm as the song changed from a slow ballad to a much more up-beat tempo. Perfect, she thought. She spun around, pressing her ass into Jesse's crotch and grinding backwards. He was like a statue, completely out of his game. It wasn't like Faith was a natural either. She'd never been to a club before, but Faith wasn't afraid to explore out of her comfort zone. What she was afraid of was much more dangerous than a little sexy dancing in public. Besides, Faith had watched a lot of TV over the years, when Giles had left her alone in a motel room for days at a time, and so she was pretty confident what she was doing would have the desired effect. It certainly seemed to be working on Jesse.

Faith turned back around, her hands moving around his waist. She pulled him even closer and leant up to whisper into his ear. 'Come on Jesse, start moving your ass.' Imagining he was some hot chick, Faith grabbed his butt for emphasis. He squeaked a little, but it seemed enough to break him out of his shock. He started to move to the music, getting into the flow. They danced for the rest of the song, and then Faith broke away, giving him an appreciative look. 'Thanks for the dance handsome,' she said, loud enough to be overheard, and then sauntered off the dance floor, back to her new friends. That should do the trick.

Xander looked at her like he had never seen anything so sexy in his whole life, his mouth flapping open and closed as he tried to speak. She smirked at him. Willow and Tara both had small blushes.

'Sorry about that guys,' she said, sitting down. 'Just thought I'd help Jesse out a bit.' Faith looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, a small mousy haired girl had approached Jesse and was currently chatting him up. She looked back at the others and smiled. 'Mission accomplished.'

'That was…' Willow trailed off.

'Impressive,' Xander finished.

Faith shrugged. 'I just watch way too much MTV. Not much else to do when you're bored in a motel room.'

Truth was she would practice her moves in front of the mirror, but she wasn't going to tell them that. It was embarrassing. There's only so much reading and martial arts training a person can do before they start to go insane. She needed something else to take her mind off things, so she would put the TV on and watch music videos, copying the moves, adding her own flair to things after a while. She became quite good at it.

Faith loved dancing as a kid, but had stopped when things started to get bad between her parents. There was no time for dancing then. She never knew what she was going to find when she got home from school. Whether her dad would be there with his drinking buddies, stinking up the joint with their smoke and downing beers like water. Her mom would make sure she got up to her room, but her dad always wanted her mom by his side, so she would have to go back down to him. She would lock the door behind her, making sure Faith would be safe before she went down to join him though. Faith never did find out exactly what happened, but she really didn't need to see it to understand it was bad. Her mom would be bruised and quiet the next day, withdrawn into her shell. She would be like that for days, before she would start to act normally again. Keyword: act.

'You're pretty talented,' Willow said, bringing her out of her dark thoughts.

Faith shrugged the compliment off. 'Thanks Red.'

'I-it… I mean… y-you are,' an unfamiliar voice stammered out awkwardly. Faith looked at Tara, surprised to hear the girl speak for the first time. She blushed heavily, but managed to keep eyes contact this time.

'Who would've thought you guys would be so impressed by a bit of dirty dancing?' Faith replied. 'But thanks.'

'It was kind of dirty,' Xander said, with a laugh. 'But you showed some good moves. I mean, like, rhythm? You put some of Sunnydale's Cheerleaders to shame!'

Faith held up her hands. 'Okay, okay, enough. I appreciate the compliments guys, but I'm not about to up and become a fuckin' Cheerleader, okay. Definitely not my scene. I would kill it, of course, but I've got more important shit to worry about.'

'School? Studying?' Willow asked, her eyes brightening at the topic.

Faith laughed. The girl was such a nerd. 'That's part of it,' she said. But it wasn't the most important part. War against Evil? Yeah, that kinda took precedence over anything else.

'I can totally help you study,' Willow said enthusiastically.

'I think I got it covered Red,' Faith replied with a chuckle. 'I mean, my dad's the librarian. Pretty much got a library full of knowledge at my disposal. And he's already taught me a lot. Judging by today's classes, I'm not going to struggle.'

'Wait.' Willow's eyebrows shot up. 'Mr. Giles is your dad?'

'Uh, yeah,' Faith said, as if she thought it was obvious. 'Why else would I be chillin' in the library, talking to him?'

'I thought you just wanted a book,' Willow said.

'Good point,' Faith agreed. 'But yeah, he's my dad. So what?'

'But isn't your last name… not Giles?'

'Lehane,' Faith answered, scowling. She hated that name. His name. She wanted to change it, but Giles said no. He was a well-known target of the Shadows, and he claimed that if she changed her name to Giles, it would attract undue attention to her. So far she had been off their radar since he had saved her and he didn't want to change that. 'G is my… Foster dad, I guess.'

'G?' Xander asked.

'It's what I call him,' Faith said. 'Mostly.'

'W-what happened t-to… your parents?' Tara asked.

'They… died.' Faith waved a hand as they all started to offer sympathies. 'It's fine, guys. Was a long time ago, and I'm… better off now. Don't ask me why. I don't want to talk about my parents right now, okay?'

'Okay,' Willow said, giving her a sympathetic look anyway.

There was a moment of awkward silence, as nobody knew what to say after that uncomfortable reveal. It was broken eventually by Willow.

'Hey, look Faith, it's Buffy,' Willow pointed at the door of the Bronze. Faith followed her hand, and so it was. Miss Goth Queen Summers had just come waltzing in with a guy that looked way older than her. She frowned, annoyed at that for some reason. Was he her boyfriend?

'Who's the guy?' she asked Willow.

'I don't know.'

'His name is Damon Brandon,' Xander answered. Everyone looked at him. He shrugged. 'My cousin went to school with him. He's supposed to be this hardcore badass, according to Davie. Why is Buffy with him?'

'I don't know. How old is he?'

'Err,' Xander had to think about it. 'Twenty three, I think.'

Faith got up. 'I'll be back in a sec.'

'Faith, wait,' Willow said, but she ignored her.

Faith dodged her way across the dance floor. Buffy was stood by Damon as he sat at the bar. As Faith got closer, she overheard Buffy say, 'but I need a new one. A.S.A.P.'

Faith sidled in just behind Buffy, ostensibly ordering a drink. She listened to Damon reply.

'I just got you one Summers,' he said, coldly. 'What did you do with it?'

Buffy sighed. 'I got busted with it. Come on, I paid you, didn't I? You know I'm good for it.'

'If you can't pay right now, I can't help you. Not unless you want to pay me in other ways.'

Faith clenched her teeth. What a fuckin' creep. She prepared to step in, but…

'Fuck you Damon,' Buffy said angrily. Damon chuckled as Buffy turned on her heel and stormed off.

Faith turned to watch her go, her eyes falling down to the raven-haired girls leather clad ass. She shook her head. Dammit, she needed to focus. Get your mind out of the gutter Faith, she told herself, and then started to approach her fellow Potential. Buffy had seated herself at one of the circular tables, silently fuming into her drink. Faith walked right up to her.

'Hey,' she said.

Buffy narrowed her eyes as she saw her, obviously recognising her. 'I'm not interested dyke.'

Faith was stunned. 'What?' She couldn't think of anything else to say, she was so surprised.

'I saw you staring at me in the cafeteria, checking me out,' Buffy said. 'I'm not interested, so move along. Find some other chick to drool over.'

'I was not drooling!' Faith argued, which was kinda stupid, but it annoyed her. Who was this bitch? Apparently this goth act wasn't just for show. Buffy was as abrasive as she looked.

'Fine, whatever, just fuck off, okay. I am not in the mood.'

Faith was quickly coming to the conclusion that she didn't like this girl. Okay, she was hot. Faith could admit that. Hell, she was super fuckin' hot, with the gorgeous jet-black hair, the deep black eyeliner and scarlet red lipstick, not to mention her stunning bod. But damn, that attitude! No amount of hotness can make up for that.

'You know what, fine,' Faith said, pissed off herself now. 'Have a nice life, you bitch.'

Faith turned and walked away; missing the fact that Buffy flipped her off as she left. She made her way back over to her friends. Giles was not going to be happy. The one thing he needed her to do, she couldn't. She would just tell him this one was a miss. Buffy Summers was never going accept her destiny. No fuckin' way. Fatih didn't even want her to after that interaction.

She arrived back at the group to find that Jesse had returned from the dance floor. He was practically hopping, with a big ass grin on his face.

'Oh man, Faith,' he said, 'you are an angel! I got her number, see!' He showed her the number written on his hand. Hopefully it was real, or he would be so bummed later.

'That's great Jesse,' she said, half-heartedly.

'It didn't go well, huh?' Willow asked, again looking sympathetic.

'That's putting it nicely,' Faith replied sourly.

'Wait, you went to hit on Buffy Summers?' Jesse asked, and then laughed out loud.

'Huh?' Xander said. 'Hit on her?'

Willow's eyes had widened in surprise as well. Obviously she hadn't thought of it that way.

'Not really, no,' Faith replied, even though she kinda had been hoping, even if it was subconsciously, that the other Potential would be interested. But it was purely a lust thing. She was hot, as previously detailed.

'You're gay?' Xander asked, looking a little disappointed.

'Not really?' Willow enquired.

'It's not like I…' But Faith really had no idea how she could explain why she had wanted to talk to Buffy so much. 'Okay. Fine. Yes, I went to hit on her, but she is a total bitch. I won't be doing that again, trust me. And yes Xand, I am gay. Lesbo. As Buffy would say, a fuckin' dyke.'

'Ouch,' Willow said, wincing. 'She really said that?'

'Yeah.'

'Sorry. She's just… she's prickly.'

'She's a bitch,' Faith said. 'End of.'

Willow was wise enough not to argue that point anymore.

'Wait a sec,' Faith said, a bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. 'Where's Tara?'

'Oh, she just went to get a drink,' Willow said.

Faith looked over at the bar. The blonde haired girl was nowhere to be seen at the bar. She scanned the crowd on the dance floor, not really expecting to find the shy girl there, her heart speeding up in her chest. Shit, shit, shit.

'Fuck!' Faith swore, not finding her anywhere. 'She didn't go to the toilet?'

'No,' Willow said. 'I mean, I don't think so. She just went to get a drink. Faith? What's wrong?'

'She's not at the bar!' Faith practically shouted, reaching for her bag.

'So?' Xander asked, sharing a "what's up with Faith?" look with Jesse. 'Maybe she met someone or something.'

'Tara?' Faith argued. 'The girl is so shy she can barely even speak to me. You think she met someone just like that?'

Xander thought about it. Faith had a point. 'Okay, maybe, I dunno.'

'Willow,' Faith said, 'check the girls toilets for me? Please? No questions.'

'Okay, sure.'

'Xander, Jesse, stay here,' Faith said. 'I mean it. Do not move from this spot until I get back.'

With that, Faith made a dash for the exit. This can't be happened, she thought. Not on her first fuckin' night out. Goddammit! She slammed through the door, startling the bouncer.

'What the hell kid?'

'Have you seen a blonde haired girl? Kinda chubby? Shy?'

'Err, yeah, not too long ago. She was with some girl.'

'Where did they go?'

'That way.'

Faith took off at a run, pulling her stake out of her handbag. She heard a scream from up ahead, and sped up, rounding the corner to see Tara huddled against the wall, eyes wide with freight. A red headed girl, clearly a Vampire, loomed above her, ready to pounce. Faith went in for the kill, her training kicking in, taking over. She moved fast, going for the heart. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough. The Vampire heard her, or smelt her, or something, and turned to intercept her. Her descending hand was caught and twisted. Faith screamed in pain and dropped the stake. Fuck!

'Tut-tut,' the hideous looking Vampire clicked her tongue, 'naughty girl. Wait your turn.'

Faith found herself thrown against the opposite wall. She hit with such force that the wind was knocked from her lungs. She slumped to the floor, gasping for breath. Dammit. She thought she was ready, but… maybe Giles was right?

Tara screamed again. Faith pulled herself up. No time to second-guess herself. She would either save Tara, or die trying.

'Hey! Retard!' Faith yelled, getting the Vamps attention again. 'That all you got?'

The Vampire turned and scowled.

Faith moved in to attack, throwing the first punch. The Vampire moved out of the way, too fast, but Faith anticipated as much, and swept her leg out underneath her. The Vampire was caught off guard and fell to the floor. Faith grabbed her stake from the ground and dived onto the Vamp, trying to get into position to stake her. The Vampire fought her though, and managed to kick her off with a snarl.

'You little brat!'

Faith smirked, trying to appear more confident than she felt. Then she heard running feet on concrete, and a second later Xander, Jesse and Willow rounded the corner. Oh no, she though.

'I told you to stay put!' Faith yelled.

The Vampire turned to the new arrivals and growled. Xander, Jesse and Willow took a collective step back, fear taking over their features.

'Guys,' Faith shouted, 'get the hell out of here! Now!'

She didn't wait to see if they obeyed her. She charged the Vamp, hoping to take her off guard, but the Vampire caught her with a hand around the throat. Faith gasped. Well, that didn't work out like she planned. Time to improvise. Faith still had her stake, so she tried to bring it up, hoping to get enough force to drive it through the demons chest. The Vamp grabbed her hand easily though.

'Nice try brat,' she taunted, opening her mouth. Her fangs glistened as they descended towards Faith's jugular. Before they could make contact though, Xander and Jesse grabbed the Vampire by an arm each, and pulled her away.

Faith fell to the floor and gasped for breath. She heard them struggling with the Vamp. You need to get up Faith, she told herself, and forced her legs up. Stake in hand, she went for the kill strike yet again. Before she could plunge the stake in, the Vampire threw Xander and Jesse away, overpowering both of them. They tumbled to the ground with grunts of pain. Faith paused, stake held high. Great, she though, now what?

The Vampire took a step towards her, grinning evilly. She didn't get to take the second step. Suddenly, she was pulled backwards, flying through the air, surprise all over her ugly face. She slammed into the wall and stayed there, stuck, struggling against invisible bonds. Faith stared in shock.

'Faith!' She heard Willow call, and looked over to see her concentrating hard on something. Then Faith noticed that Willow was holding Tara's hand, and that the quiet girl was also sporting a look of concentration as well. Realisation dawned. Witchcraft, of course. You sly little thing, she thought. 'Quickly! We can't hold her much longer!'

'Right,' Faith said, and then turned back to the Vampire. 'Sucks to be you, huh.' One quick stake thrust, and the Vamp was dust.

Relief flooded through her body, and Faith collapsed into a sitting position on the floor. She heard Willow and Tara panting from exertion and looked over at them with a smile. They smiled back.

Xander and Jesse looked at the girls, and then each other, and then back the girls. 'Uh, guys?' Xander said, getting their attention. 'Mind telling us what the hell just happened!?'


	5. Numb

Following the Vampire attack, Faith didn't feel comfortable letting any of her new friends walk home alone. She instead told them to come home with her, that they needed to listen to what her dad had to say. She wasn't about to lie to them about what just happened, but at the same time, she didn't feel secure enough in telling them the truth of the world herself. That was Giles' job.

Xander seemed to be having the worst time absorbing it all. He ran himself dry freaking out. Jesse had lost his voice, and just nodded along with Xander. Willow and Tara, they appeared to have more of a handle on things, but that was probably because, evidently, they had some experience with the supernatural.

They walked all the way back to Faith's house, mostly in silence, save for the occasional, "what the hell" comment from Xander. When Faith opened the front door, Giles shot to his feet, clearly having spent the entire night worrying about her. It was sweet. When he saw that she was clutching at her ribs, and that she wasn't alone, his concern transformed into fury.

'What happened?' he said briskly, moving over to her side.

'Vamp,' Faith replied. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. 'Don't worry. We dusted it.'

He seemed surprised by that, but didn't let it distract him from his distress over her obviously injured midsection. 'You're hurt.'

'I'm fine,' Faith said, trying to downplay it. She didn't want him freaking out completely and not letting her out of his sight every again. 'Vamp got a good hit in, that's all.'

Giles got her to hop up on the table, and then lifted her shirt slightly to examine her ribs. She was bruised badly, but after a few prods, he judged that none of her bones where broken.

'Like I said, I'm fine.'

'You could have been killed,' he said, the anger back in his voice.

'But I wasn't.'

Giles took of his spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose, before turning to her friends, who all lingered awkwardly in the door, not really sure what they should be doing.

'Come in guys,' Faith said, waving them in. She winced a little as the motion pulled at her stomach muscles, and Giles shot her a look, as if to say, "this is what I was afraid of".

'Faith, what are your friends doing here?'

'They, uh,' Faith trailed off, and then went on, more confidently. 'They kinda saw the whole thing. Helped me, actually.'

Giles clenched his jaw. 'They helped you?' he asked, through gritted teeth, putting his glasses back on.

'Yeah… Xander and Jesse distracted the Vamp, and Willow and Tara… they used magic to pin it against the wall, allowing me to stake it.'

Giles spluttered, and turned to stare at the girls. They both looked very uncomfortable under his gaze, and looked down at their feet. 'Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Messing with magic like that?'

Willow shook her head. Tara looked up, afraid, but she replied, 'I… my m-mom…. She w-was a w-witch. She t-taught m-me some… before she…d-died… sir.' Faith was surprised to hear the girl standing up for herself, or at least trying to explain. She wouldn't have thought the girl brave enough, but clearly Faith had misjudged her. She was stronger than she appeared.

Giles rubbed his forehead. 'It's still dangerous.'

Willow nodded. 'We know…'

Giles looked like he was going to say more, but Faith cut in, 'they saved me, Dad.'

That seemed to deflate Giles' anger, at least towards them. He turned to stare at Faith. 'And what about you? You just decided to try and take on a Vampire single-handedly? What about those potions I gave you. You didn't think to use those?'

Faith chewed on her bottom lip. Truthfully, in the heat of the moment, she had forgotten all about them. However, she didn't want to tell him that. He would never let her out again if he knew she was so careless. So she lied, and said, 'I judged it wasn't worth the risk. The Vamp had Tara back up against the wall, and I wouldn't have been able to use any of them, and save her at the same time. Not without risking her life. I thought I could take it on my own.'

'And do you think that was wise?'

Faith sighed, but wasn't willing to back down. 'I stand by my decision.'

Giles took a deep breath, as if building himself up for another rant.

'Excuse me,' Xander interrupted, before he could get going. He was looking at everyone like they were all insane. 'But what the hell are you all talking about!? Vampires? Witches? Are you kidding me!?'

'How do you explain what you just saw?' Faith demanded to know. She understood him feeling overwhelmed, but how could he not comprehend the truth when it was shoved right in front of his face. Hell, when the truth threw him halfway down an alley.

'Er, I dunno,' Xander replied, shaking his head. 'Drugs?' he tried.

Faith snorted. 'Drugs made a bitch turn to dust?'

Xander threw up his hands. 'I dunno! Maybe we're hallucinating or something.'

'All of us? Seeing the same thing?' Faith kept popping holes in his attempts to justify the crazy events of the night.

Xander collapsed into a seat, burying his head in his hands and making this long, drawn out groaning sound.

'I think you broke him,' Jesse said, weakly joking.

'And what do you think? You think we're having some weird ass joint hallucination?'

'I think I'm too freaked out to even think right now.'

'Jesse, Xander,' Willow said, getting the boys attention. 'I'm no expert on… V-vampires… but Witchcraft… it's real. Me and Tara, we… we've been… dabbling in it.'

'It's all real,' Faith announced. 'Every single damn thing you've ever been afraid of, every nightmare-inducing monster, and some you can't even begin to imagine. All of them are real. And they're out there, getting organised, finally fighting back against the forces that have kept them in check for millennia.'

Giles picked up the speech with a sigh of resignation. He was clearly not happy about all of these kids finding out the truth, but if they knew, he was going to make sure they understood how dangerous the knowledge was.

'You have to understand,' he said, 'this fight has been intensifying in recent years. The forces of evil are winning, and every day we lose more men.'

'Wait,' Xander said, head coming up to stare at Faith and Giles. 'You're telling us that you're part of the "force that has kept them in check"?' He didn't even try to conceal his disbelief at this statement. 'A sixteen year old girl and a Librarian?'

'Yes, we are,' Giles replied sharply. 'But we are not just those things. I am a Watcher, and Faith is a Potential Slayer.'

'And I'm fifteen, not sixteen,' Faith added, while Xander said;

'A what?' Xander was confounded.

'A S-slayer?' Tara squeaked out, eyes turning round in shock.

'What's a Slayer?' Willow asked, confused, but concerned by Tara's apparent fear.

Xander spoke over her at the same time. 'Wait, you're sixteen?'

'Everyone,' Giles called out with authority. 'Please speak one at a time.'

There was a moment's silence as everyone took a breath.

'Xander, Faith is fifteen, but as she was educated by me to a much higher level, she was allowed to skip a year,' Giles explained.

'Huh.' Xander looked at Faith, reassessing her. She gave him the finger, but smiled as she did it, softening the gesture. He scowled, clearly not liking anything about the way the night was playing out.

'Tara, you've heard of the Slayer?' Giles continued, pointedly ignoring the exchange.

'My m-mom told m-me about them,' Tara said, her voice so quiet everyone had to strain their ears to make out the words. 'S-she said that, S-slayers are girls… girls that h-hunt p-people like u-us. W-witches. D-demons.'

Everyone turned to stare at Giles and Faith.

'Faith is a Potential Slayer,' Giles repeated, emphasis on Potential. 'She is not the Slayer yet, if she becomes one at all. And Slayers do not hunt all Witches, just ones that practise dark magic. I trust your mother did not condone such arts?'

'N-no,' Tara said, obviously still scared. 'S-she told me n-never to even t-think about t-them. Dark M-magic is e-evil, it c-corrupts the s-soul.'

'Quite right,' Giles said, feeling relieved that Tara had at least one good role model. 'Your mother never had anything to fear from the Slayer, or the Watcher's Council.'

'Wait though,' Willow said. 'You said… Demons? You knew about this stuff Tara?'

Tara nodded, her hair bobbing. 'Y-yes, but I've n-never seen one b-before. I'm sorry.'

Willow moved to rest her hand upon the other girls. 'It's okay. I understand why you wouldn't say anything about them. I mean… Demons.' Willow gave a nervous laugh.

Tara smiled shyly at her, feeling comforted.

'Okay, that's all fine and dandy,' Xander said, looking like he wanted to scream. 'But seriously, I'm still not getting it. You… Faith is a Potential Slayer girl? How does that work? And you're a Watcher? What the hell does that mean? What do you watch?'

'Faith is a Potential Slayer,' Giles said, once again. 'As her Watcher, I guide her, train her, and make sure she is ready if the time ever comes that she becomes the Slayer.'

'And how does that happen?'

'When the current Slayer… dies.'

Xander went white at the mention of death.

'So, who is the Slayer now?' Willow asked, trying to make sense of it all.

Giles lowered his head. This was a sore subject. He went to sit on the back of the couch and took of his glasses again, furiously cleaning them as he spoke. 'The current Slayer is… compromised. A year ago she was called, but… when I went to recruit her I…'

Faith saw he was having trouble, so she finished for him, 'she's bat shit crazy and has joined the other side.'

'Oh,' Willow exclaimed.

Xander massaged his temples. 'Joined the other side?'

'We don't know why,' Giles said, tiredly, 'but yes. The Slayer is now a force for evil, at least for the time being.'

'I think my head is going to explode,' Xander said, walking over to the wall and banging his head lightly against it, as if that would help.

'It's a lot to take in,' Giles said, feeling sympathetic. He'd grown up with this, and was raised to be a Watcher. Xander and the rest of the gang, minus Tara, hadn't. 'I think we should call it a night. None of you can mention this to anyone else, do you understand?'

Xander laughed darkly. 'Yeah, like I wanna tell anyone this crazy crap! I'll be thrown in a mental hospital or something.'

'What Xander is saying is, we understand. We won't say a word to anyone,' Willow said, more diplomatically.

Jesse nodded.

'Good,' Giles said, putting his glasses back on. 'I will drive you all home. It's not safe to walk. Faith, you stay here and rest. Take some painkillers and put an ice pack on your ribs. And remember to breathe deeply.'

'Yeah, I know. Okay,' Faith agreed.

 

When Giles returned from dropping off each of her friends, he found Faith lying on the couch, her shirt off and a cold pack of ice pressed to her injured stomach area. She had her eyes closed, but he could tell that she was still awake. He sat in his armchair opposite her position, undoing the top button of his shirt and relaxing back into its comfort.

'How do you feel?'

'Better,' Faith replied. 'Thanks.'

Faith opened her eyes and looked at him, feeling guilty about how messed up things had gotten. She'd somehow managed to drag her friends into their whole war against the Shadows, or at least, she had exposed them to its reality. They might not know the whole story, but she was pretty sure they wouldn't just ignore the events of the night, and she would have to explain it to them tomorrow at school. She puffed out a breath and moved her eyes to scrutinize a speck of dirt on the ceiling.

'I'm sorry, Dad.'

Giles shifted in his seat. 'I know,' he said, after a short pause. 'It wasn't your fault though. Fate apparently has different plans.'

'What do you mean?' Faith glanced at him without moving her head.

'I do not think it was an accident you befriended those four,' he explained. 'I think the Powers guided us here for a reason, to find this particular Potential, so that you could encounter your friends and expose them to the truth. Although, for what reason I do not know.'

'You think Buffy Summers is important?' Faith didn't try to hide her scepticism.

'Perhaps.' Giles heard the doubt in her voice and sat up. 'You do not agree?'

'No, I don't,' Faith said. 'She was at the club. I tried to talk to her, but, well, she wasn't very receptive to the idea. Put simply, she is a bitch. A huge fuckin' bitch, actually.'

Giles frowned, not just at her language, but also at her impression of Buffy. 'Never the less, no matter what she is, she is a Potential, and we cannot ignore that.'

'You expect me to talk to her again?' Faith asked, although she really didn't need to hear the answer. She knew he wouldn't let things go that easily. Giles was determined to recruit Bitchy Summers.

'Absolutely,' Giles said.

'I just don't think she is going to be open to what we have to say, G. And she really does not like me.'

'Why? What makes you think that?'

Faith closed her eyes. 'She kinda caught me checking her out, I guess. She didn't like that, and when I tried to talk to her at the club, she thought I was hitting on her, and things escalated, and… It just didn't go well, okay.'

When she opened her eyes again and looked at him, Giles was clearly uncomfortable hearing his foster daughter talking about her sexuality. He cleared his throat. 'I see.'

'And she's not exactly what I'd call a people person. Her entire being screams anti-social. I don't see her even giving us a chance to explain.'

Giles pushed off the arms of the chair as he stood. 'Regardless, I expect you to try again. Apologise. Swallow your pride. Do whatever it takes, Faith. But you must get through to Buffy Summers.' He didn't give her a chance to reply. 'I'm going to bed. I suggest you do the same.'

Then he left her there, stewing in her bad mood. She didn't even say goodnight. She just lay on the couch and thought foul things, about Giles, for being so damn stubborn, and about Buffy, for being such a bitch. She moved a little and a twinge of pain shot through her midsection.

'Fuck,' she hissed.

Wasn't life just fuckin' perfect?

 

Goddamn Damon fuckin' Brandon!

Buffy took a swig of her beer, thankful for the fake ID which allowed her to purchase alcohol in this joint, and thus drown her sorrows. All she wanted was a little knife, after all. It wasn't that big of a deal. She wasn't even sure what she felt threatened by; she just knew she needed the knife for some reason. It was this feeling in her gut, this instinct, that she should really have something to defend herself with. That was why she had approached Damon in the first place and worked her ass off to earn enough money for the last knife. Then she went and got the damn thing confiscated by Principal Asshole. Now she felt naked and vulnerable, and she didn't like it one bit.

But Damon was being a dick, refusing to loan her a knife, even though he knew she was good for the money. She wasn't some dumb kid. She worked three nights a weak at Nathan's gym, helping him couch kids in fitness and nutrition. She might have spent all her money on the last knife, but she could, and would, earn more. She just wanted to borrow one until she could get the money together. Was that too much to ask?

Fucking asshole, Buffy though sourly, downing her beer.

'Can I get you another one of those?'

Buffy looked up and assessed the guy standing by her table. He was tall and looked pretty well built. His smile was confident, like he wasn't used to being shot down at all. That annoyed Buffy a little, but at the same time, she was pissed off and could use a good distraction. He looked like he might be just the thing.

'Make it two and you're in,' Buffy said, brusquely.

'Great,' he said.

When he came back, he was carrying three beer bottles, two for Buffy, and one for himself. At least he wasn't stupid. He sat down opposite her, grinning cockily. That was going to get annoying.

'I'm Paul,' he said, taking a drink. 'You?'

'Buffy.'

'That's a nice name.'

'Not really.'

'You don't like it?'

'What gave it away?' Buffy downed the first beer in one go.

Paul watched her, his face becoming more surprised with every gulp. 'Uh, are you… okay?'

'Fuckin' great,' Buffy lied, although not very convincingly. Not that she was trying. She started on the second beer.

'Okay,' Paul said, clearly at a loss for words. He cleared his throat.

Buffy took a big gulp of beer. 'You going to hit on me or what?'

'Is that what you want?' Paul seemed uncertain.

'Not really, no,' Buffy said. 'I'd rather we just cut to chase.'

'And that would be?'

'You. Me. Alley. Fucking.' Buffy rattled off without breaking eye contact, her face a complete mask of boredom.

Paul drained the last of his beer. 'Okay.' He was more than happy to get to the point.

Buffy took her beer with her as they both got up and left the club via the back door. Paul led her over behind a dumpster and backed her up against the wall. He went straight for her neck, kissing her, while his hands fumbled at her pants. Buffy finished off her beer while he messed around, and then tossed it aside once she was done. He'd managed to get her pants part way down, but he was taking way too long, so she pushed him away and pulled them down in one quick, practised motion, taking her panties along for the ride. He looked at her with hungry eyes as he unbuckled his belt and pulled out his cock.

When he came at her again, he went for a kiss, but Buffy turned her head away, denying him. He pulled back his head to look at her.

'No kissing,' Buffy said, and then grabbed his cock and guided it inside her.

Paul didn't argue after that. He gasped as he entered her and started to pump away while Buffy closed her eyes. It wasn't the first time she'd had sex, of course. She was fifteen when she lost her virginity, to her ex-boyfriend at the time. She had wanted it, wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Possibly she just wanted to understand why her dad had done what he did. It was fumbling and quick and not at all satisfying. At first she thought it was because her ex was just bad at it, but after she dumped him and tried it with others guys, she came to realise that sex was just not all it was hyped up to be.

'Harder,' Buffy encouraged. 'Faster.' Paul didn't seem to notice how bored Buffy sounded. He did as she ordered though, grunting and moaning her name, blah blah blah.

His cock wasn't massive, but it was big enough to make her hurt as he rammed into her. Buffy didn't even know why she did this. It wasn't like she enjoyed it. It was fine, she supposed, but certainly not as great as everyone made it out to be. Perhaps she was searching, hoping to find that one person that lit up her world. No, Buffy dismissed that thought straight away. She didn't want anyone. All people did was hurt you.

Buffy waited for Paul to finish, before she grabbed him by the shoulders and tried to push him down. He fought it though. 'What are you doing?' Paul asked.

'Lick me,' Buffy said, pushing at him still.

Paul twisted his face up, not liking that idea. 'No way,' he said. 'I just came inside you. No way am I licking you after that. That's gross.'

Buffy narrowed her eyes. 'Fuck, just lick me!' It was the only time she ever felt any pleasure from sex. After several disappointing times with her ex-boyfriend, he had offered to lick her, like a puppy wanting to please its owner. She had accepted, not expecting to enjoy it so much. She didn't know why, but a guy could fuck her all day with his cock and she wouldn't cum, but if he got on his knees and licked her pussy, she would orgasm just like that.

Which was why she was so insistent that Paul lick her, to scratch that itch she had inside. She tried to get him to kneel again, but he wasn't having it.

'No!' Paul slammed her against the wall.

Buffy bit her lip as the impact jarred her. Mother Fucker! She glared at him and he held up his hands.

'Sorry,' he said, although he didn't really sound it. 'I'm just not going to do that.'

Buffy pulled up her pants and panties, controlling her fury. He wasn't going to do that. Nope, not after he got what he wanted. Of course he wasn't going to give her any pleasure. Nobody gave a shit whether she got what she wanted or not.

'Fine,' Buffy said, and then stuck her foot behind his ankle, and with practised ease, shoved him back, so that he tripped and fell to the floor with his pants around his knees.

'What the - ?' He cried out, surprised. 'Bitch!'

Buffy was already halfway down the alley. 'Fuck off asshole.'

 

When Buffy got home, her mom was waiting up for her. It was nearly two in the morning when she opened the front door and slipped inside. As soon as she saw the light from the living room, she knew her mom was there. And as expected, Joyce appeared, summoned by the sound of the door opening and closing.

'Buffy!' her mom yelled, furious. She stopped when she saw her, shocked. 'What happened to you?'

'I just went out,' Buffy replied, moving to go upstairs. She just wanted to sleep, but when her mom moved to block the staircase, she knew that wasn't going to be happening as soon as she'd like.

'No, Buffy. Your lip is bleeding. Who did that to you?'

Buffy felt at her lip. It wasn't bleeding, but it was scabbed over. She remembered biting her lip when Paul thrust her against the wall and realised she must have drawn blood.

'I just bit my lip, that's all,' Buffy said, not really lying, just not telling her the whole truth. Besides, it wasn't like her mom even cared. She was just pissed at Buffy for sneaking out and looking for reasons to yell at her.

'Did someone hit you?' Joyce demanded to know.

'God, no,' Buffy scoffed. 'I told you the truth. I just bit my lip. Now can I go to bed? I'm tired.'

'No, you cannot! I told you to go to your room, not go to your room and then climb out the window! What did you think you were doing!? Sneaking out is one thing, but staying out so late!? You could have been hurt! Killed!'

Buffy shrugged. She really didn't want to hear this phoney babble. The only reason Joyce was really mad was because Buffy refused to listen to her, not because she was actually worried.

'Don't just shrug at me,' her mom cried, years in her eyes. 'You don't think Buffy! You just go out whenever you want and don't even tell me where you're going. Half the time you don't even come home from school! What do you do, Buffy? Where do you go? Who are you with? Hmm?'

I go to work, you stupid woman, Buffy thought, but she didn't say it. She didn't want her mom to know about her job, because she might try and stop her from doing it, and then Buffy wouldn't be able to save up money to move out as soon as she could.

'I'm your Mother! Answer me!'

Buffy just looked at her, keeping her face impassive. It was how she always managed her mom. Eventually she would get tired and just let her go - grade A Joyce Summers parenting, right there.

Eventually, that is exactly what happened. Joyce tired herself out raging at her daughter. In the end, she just said, '… go to bed Buffy.'

And so Buffy pushed past her mom, who watched her walk up the stairs with a pained, hurt expression on her face. Buffy closed her bedroom door behind herself and then collapsed onto her bed, pulling the covers around her body, wrapping herself in them. She stared out the window, feeling numb to everything.

Buffy always felt this way after sex. This was why she really did it. Not because she was searching for something, not because she was horny, not because she fancied the guy. No, she just wanted to feel that numbness. She hated herself for doing it, for being a slutty whore, but she loved the way it made her feel.

Or, more specifically, how it made her not feel.


	6. Potential

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been away for a bit, and found it quite hard to get back into things, and also to get this chapter right. Hopefully it's up to my usual standards, but if it isn't, feel free to let me know in a review/comment. And as always, I hope you enjoy it.

Despite Faith's injury, Giles was eager to continue their training at the earliest possible occasion, and now that they weren't living on the road, he decided it was time they invested in some more extensive equipment. The house the Council had bought for them included a large basement, which Giles decided would be a perfect space to convert into a little training dojo.

Which was why they stopped by a local gym slash sporting goods store on the way home from school the next day. That is, after they had met with the gang following school in the library. Xander was still having trouble digesting everything, but Jesse was more talkative, and asked a lot more questions. He seemed to be taking it all in a lot better now. Willow and Tara hadn't really needed any convincing, but Giles pulled them aside to give them a lecture on responsible magic use, which seemed to make him feel better at the very least.

Satisfied that the group was clear on the basics, Giles sent them all home, promising that, if they so desired, they would be kept in the loop. When Faith asked him why in the car, he said that he would feel better keeping an eye on them all, seeing as they already knew so much. Faith thought it probably had more to do with his concern over Willow and Tara than anything else.

Finally, they arrived at the combined gym and store.

The gym was a lot bigger than Faith had been expecting. While Giles went up to speak to the man behind the counter, she began to wander between the fitness equipment. For a pretty small time gym, it boasted a surprisingly varied collection of workout machines. But what caught Faith's eye more than anything was the giant ring at the back of the store. As she made her way over to it, she began to hear the familiar thud of fists upon a punching bag, mixed in with grunts of exertion. To the side of the ring, she spotted the source of the sounds.

Buffy Summers was wailing on a particular bag with enthusiasm, as if the thing had hurled some dire insult at her. She was wearing a black tank top, matching jean shorts, and had her fists taped up to protect her hands. Faith found herself just staring for a while, watching the other girls ponytail bounce with each strike, watching a particular droplet of sweat drip down the back of her neck, and oh yeah, definitely checking out her amazing ass and legs as Buffy hopped back and forth between strikes.

Suddenly realising how much of a pervert she was being, Faith cleared her throat and looked away, as if she had been looking at the ring this whole time. When she heard Buffy sigh, she knew the other Potential had recognised her presence. She turned back to meet Buffy's eyes.

'What?' Buffy snapped. 'Are you fuckin' stalking me or something?'

Faith was tempted to snap back, but she knew that wouldn't lead to anything good, and she had promised Giles she would try and speak to Buffy again. Now was her chance, so she bit back her sharp retort and instead said, 'no, I'm not. But I do want to talk to you. And I'm not hitting on you, before you say that I am. I just need to talk to you about something important.'

Buffy crossed her arms in front of her chest. Faith had to consciously not stare at her chest, which had now been pushed upwards to extenuate the other girl's shiny with sweat cleavage.

'You want to talk to me about something important? Yeah, well, I don't want to talk to you. So fuck off.'

Faith ground her teeth, thinking that Buffy was the most abrasive person she had ever met in her entire life. Giles would be disappointed if she didn't try harder though, so Faith took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking again.

'No,' Faith said. 'Believe me, if I could walk away and never speak to you again, I would. But as I said, what I've got to say is incredibly important, so I need you to quit with the defensiveness and just listen to me for a minute.'

'I don't care. I am not in the mood to listen to anything you have to say, dyke. So if you don't leave me alone in five seconds,' Buffy said, uncrossing her arms and balling her fists up, 'I will kick the shit out of you.' She said that last part loudly and emphatically.

Faith stood her ground, thinking, fine, if the little bitch doesn't want to listen nicely, I'll just make her listen. She was pretty confident she could take Buffy, even with a busted rib. When Buffy saw that she wasn't going to back down, the goth girl narrowed her eyes and tensed her muscle ready to fight.

Before that could happen, Giles and the man from behind the counter appeared.

'Buffy, what is going on here? We can hear you two from all the way across the room.' This was from the shops owner.

Giles looked at Faith with reproach, but she ignored it. She was trying to be nice, it wasn't her fault Buffy was such a stubborn ass.

Buffy glanced at the new arrivals, and then put her hands down. 'Nothing, Nathan. It's fine. I'm outta here.'

'Buffy, wait,' Nathan called, reaching out a hand to her. She dodged aside, but stopped walking away.

'What?'

'When I hired you, you promised me there would be no trouble. And now I find you threatening a customer!?'

Buffy looked at the ground, obviously angry at this whole situation. 'I'm sorry, Nathan. I - '

'She wasn't threatening me,' Faith chimed in, seeing an opening, a chance to clear the air between them, even if only a little. 'We were talking about sparring. She was just, you know, boasting.'

Buffy glanced at her questioningly, but when Nathan looked at her, she wiped the look off of her face and nodded as if it was true.

'You two were going to spar? Really?' He didn't sound entirely convinced, but at least he looked less pissed at Buffy.

'You could call it sparring, but I'd call it me kicking her ass,' Buffy said confidently.

'That's what you think,' Faith shot back, grinning.

'No, I know,' Buffy replied, a very hot little smirk on her face. Speaking to her boss, she said, 'you don't mind, do you?'

Nathan turned to Giles. 'What do you think? You mind your daughter getting in the ring with my best student? They'll be wearing protective gear, of course.'

Giles had a thoughtful look on his face.

'G,' Faith said imploringly.

'Can you handle it?' Giles asked her.

Faith snorted. 'Pfft. I can take her any day of the week.' She locked eyes with the other Potential, goading her.

'You don't stand a chance,' Buffy argued. Faith could tell the other girl wanted to add a little something extra to the end of that sentence, but she was censoring herself in front of her boss, not wanting this opportunity to be taken away. Buffy clearly wanted to get her hands on her bad, which was exactly what Faith wanted.

'You're so confident, huh?' Faith teased. 'Wanna put your money where your mouth is, sorta speak?'

Buffy narrowed her eyes. 'A bet, you mean?'

'Of sorts.'

'Let's hear it.'

'If you win,' Faith said, pointedly rolling her eyes, as if to say, like that'll ever happen, 'I'll leave you alone. You won't ever hear from me again.'

Buffy thought about it.

Nathan and Giles looked between the two girls curiously.

'And if, by some miracle, you win?' Buffy enquired.

'Then you listen to what I have to say.'

Buffy didn't even have to think about it, apparently. She was so confident she answer with a quick, 'deal!'

'Okay then,' Nathan said, shaking his head in confusion over the odd bet. 'I'll go get some gloves and head gear.'

Buffy went with him, leaving Faith and Giles alone. Faith took off her jacket and rolled her shoulders.

'Are you really sure about this?'

'Please, G, have some faith.' Faith winked at him.

He shook his head. 'I'm serious. How does your rib feel?'

'It's fine,' Faith said dismissively. 'Fine enough to take down Miss Bitchy Summers anyway.'

'And if it's not?'

Faith sighed. 'It is. But, either way, the bet only said that I would leave her alone. You can still talk to her about the whole Potential thing. Win-win for us, right?'

Giles conceded that with a nod. 'Just… be careful.'

'You trained me to take on Vamps and Demons. I think I can handle some dumbass girl.'

 

Buffy had made sure she was up early enough to slip out of the house that morning, so as to avoid the inevitable confrontation with her mom. With nothing else to really do now that she was suspended - and potentially expelled - she decided she might as well check to see if Nathan had any work for her to do.

He didn't, but let her stay anyway. Nathan was cool like that. She had met him when she signed up for his self-defence classes, and pestered him so much that eventually he had given her a job helping him teach his younger students. He could be a hard ass at times, and she wasn't sure if he even liked her most of the time, but he was a great teacher. Most importantly, he was fair. He treated people as he expected to be treated. If it wasn't for him, Buffy was sure she would have self-destructed years ago. He'd taught her self discipline and respect.

Okay, maybe not the strict definition of respect. Buffy certainly didn't respect most people. The way she saw it, respect had to be earned. Nathan had earned her respect. Willow Rosenberg had earned her respect. Everyone else? Not so much.

Buffy was letting out some stress on one of the punching bags when her dyke stalker had shown up. She hadn't expected to encounter her, but as the situation unfolded, she welcomed the opportunity to kick her ass. Punching her in the face would definitely help her stress relief, and bonus points if she could get the fuckin' bitch off her back in the process.

And so Buffy found herself circling her opponent in the ring, looking for an opening. They both wore head protection and gloves. Buffy was in black, of course. Faith wore blue. She had also removed her jacket, baring her strong arms to Buffy's eyes. She could see Faith's muscles as she held her hands up defensively. They looked much bigger up close and Buffy began to feel a little less confident.

Pushing those doubts away, Buffy moved in for a strike. She wasn't entirely certain how it happened, but she found herself flat on her back, looking up at the ceiling and listening to the dyke bitch laugh at her. Infuriated, Buffy scrambled back to her feet, feeling her cheeks redden, and not from any physical effort.

'You okay, B?' Faith taunted, flashing her white teeth in a smug grin.

Buffy went for another punch, just wanting to shut her up, but Faith dodged out of the way and caught her in an arm bar. Buffy felt herself stumble to the mat, overpowered by the other girl. Her face was introduced to the ground, and Faith pressed her knee on the base of her neck, locking her in place. Buffy struggled, but Faith was just too strong. She held her there, laughing at her again.

'Arrghh!' Buffy ground out, trying to get free. 'Get off me bitch!'

'You submit yet?' Faith whispered in her ear. Buffy could feel the other girls breath on her ear, and that sensation enraged her even more than her goading words.

'Never!'

Buffy would never get to find out if she could have fought free, because Faith let her up and took a few steps back, giving her space. She was apparently so confident that she was willing to toy with her. Buffy couldn't really argue at this point; Faith was clearly more skilled than her, much as she hated to admit it.

Buffy slowly climbed back to her feet, rubbing her shoulder. If Faith wanted to play games, she was going to make her pay for it. There was such a thing as over confidence, and Buffy had to make sure she capitalised on it.

It was time to change tactics. Instead of charging in, Buffy adopted a defensive stance and watched, waiting for Faith to make the first move. She had to be patient and wait for an opening.

'What's wrong, B? Didn't you say something about kicking my ass?'

Buffy knew that Faith was just trying to make her angry, so that she would make a mistake. Instead of attacking like she wanted to do, Buffy took a deep, calming breath.

Faith eventually saw that her insults wouldn't have the desired result, and decided to move in to strike. Buffy wasn't fast enough to dodge the punch, so she raised her arms to absorb the blow, and the one that followed. She did managed to duck the kick that followed, and went for a counter strike, only for Faith to hop out of the way at the last second.

'You know you can't win,' Faith said, throwing a few weak jabs at her, which Buffy easily avoided.

Buffy ignored her words. She wanted to respond, would love nothing more than bite back with her own scathing retorts, but she couldn't afford to get caught up in a game of verbal barbs. She needed to focus if she wanted to win this fight, and win she most definitely wanted to do. No, needed to do.

Faith threw a few more punches, and Buffy continued to block and dodge as appropriate. Finally, she seemed to get frustrated with Buffy's lack of action, and went for a big spinning kick. Buffy absorbed the impact on her forearms, wincing at the pain that shot up arms. But more interestingly, she noticed the grimace of pain that flashed across Faith's face. As the other girl made some space, she favoured her left side.

Sensing blood in the water, Buffy pressed on her, not giving Faith time to regroup. She went for a practised one two combo that Nathan had taught her, and Faith, clearly thrown off her game a little, struggled to block them. That was fine with Buffy, because her target was something else entirely. After the last punch, she spun on her heel and shot her other foot out, catching Faith right in the midsection, glancing along her left side. Faith actually cried out in pain and fell back against the ropes, her hands going to her ribs. Buffy continued her assault, now throwing punches that Faith didn't even try to block. When the other girl fell to the mat, Buffy began to rain strikes down at her, so focused on winning that she didn't even hear Nathan and Giles yelling at her to stop until she was pulled away.

'Buffy!' Nathan shouted, arms locked around her stomach as he hauled her away.

Giles went straight to Faith, kneeling by her side to check on her.

Buffy held her hands up in surrender as Nathan deposited her in one corner, blocking her from getting out of it, not that she was even trying. Faith was out on the ground, and Buffy had clearly won.

'What has gotten into you?' Nathan hissed at her, clearly not impressed by her performance.

'What?' Buffy replied, breathing heavily. 'I did what you taught me. Found my opponents weakness and took advantage of it to win.'

Nathan shook his head. 'You didn't just win. You went crazy on that poor girl. Didn't you hear us telling you to stop? That's you'd already won? Yet you kept on hitting her and screaming like a lunatic!'

Buffy shook her head. She didn't remember screaming, and certainly not like a lunatic. 'You're exaggerating.'

'No, I'm not.' Nathan pointed out of the ring. 'Go. Get changed and get out of here. I want you to think long and hard about what happened here today. If you want to come back and apologise to me, then we'll see. If not… don't come back.'

Buffy gaped at him. 'Fine!' She tore off her gloves and headgear and threw them at him. 'Fine! Whatever.'

It was just another example of how right she was. No matter what, people just ended up hurting you. She couldn't rely on anyone but herself. She didn't even bother getting changed; she just grabbed her bag, zipped it up, and stormed out.

In the end, it was always Buffy against the world.

 

Following the fight, Giles took Faith home. She sat in the passengers side seat and cradled her ribs with one hand, her eyes closed and her head leaning back against the headrest. He could tell she was still in pain from the occasional groan she emitted every time they hit a bump in the road. However, Giles thought she was more pained by the fact that she had lost the fight than she was by her injured ribs. She had been overconfident, but he wasn't going to point that out to her. He suspected she knew that much already. Perhaps more importantly, she had underestimated her opponent's ruthlessness.

Giles kept his eyes on the road, but his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Buffy Summers. The girl showed potential, but she was a bag of issues just waiting to explode. That much was obvious from her unstable onslaught at the end of the fight. From what her coach had told him, Buffy had claimed ignorance of her breakdown. It wasn't the first time Giles had heard of such things.

Being the Slayer was a stressful calling, and oftentimes the girls chosen became angry, depressed, and volatile. It inevitably left them vulnerable and lead to their deaths.

Giles saw a lot of those feelings in Buffy Summers, and he was justly worried about her. As a Potential, it was the Council's responsibility to care for her. More specifically, Giles felt it was his responsibility. He had lost so many Slayers and Potentials to the Shadows. He didn't want to lose another.

'I had her,' Faith whispered softly, breaking the silence in the car.

Giles didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

'If I'd just made her submit then,' Faith continued, 'but no… I… I wanted to embarrass her. She… she's been nothing but a pain in my ass since we got here… calling me names whenever I tried to even talk to her, just being such a… bitch… that I wanted to make her pay… wanted to show her that I was better…'

'When it comes to form and technique,' Giles interrupted, 'you are better.'

'I know,' Faith said. 'But…'

'But you let your emotions get the better of you, and Buffy Summers took advantage. I've told you before, you need to learn to keep a clear head in a fight. You don't think, and it will get you killed.'

'…I know,' Faith replied, her tone downcast. 'What are you going to do about her? The girl is clearly not all there.'

'She has her issues, yes.' Giles reaffirmed his grip on the steering wheel. Faith wasn't going to like this. 'But she is still a Potential. I'm not going to give up on her.'

Faith opened her eyes and stared at him in surprise. 'Are you serious? You still want her to be apart of this war? She's a psycho! She's more likely to run off and join the other side!'

'I understand how you feel, Faith. Buffy has wronged you, and she does owe you an apology. But you are letting your feelings get in the way of your head. She may be problematic, but she is not evil. And she is definitely not a psycho. Troubled, yes. Psycho, no.'

'I don't want anything to do with her,' Faith said, sourly.

'You don't have a choice,' Giles replied, his voice strict. 'I'm not asking you to be best friends. Nor am I asking you to approach her again. That clearly is not a good way forward. I will handle Buffy from now on.'

'You think she'll listen to you?' Faith's voice was sceptical.

Giles wasn't sure if she would, but he was going to try anyway. He had to try. 'We will see.'

 

'H-he's right, you know. Mr. Giles, I mean…'

Willow looked up from where she was lying on her bed, raising her head to gaze at her friend, who sat on the end of the bed, cross-legged. 'Huh?'

After school, they had come back to Willow's house, partly to study some magic, but also so that Tara could avoid her authoritarian family. She might as well live at Willow's she was over so often.

'We've been r-reckless,' Tara said in her quiet tone, looking down at the amulet she held in her hands, toying with it idly. 'My mother always w-warned me that magic was dangerous. S-she only taught me what she did because she said that I… I was showing inherent magical talent, and it was dangerous to leave it untrained. You don't… have that problem.'

Willow sat up fully, eyes wide. 'Tara, it's not a problem! What you can do is amazing! I wish I was that talented.'

'N-no, Willow, I mean it. You could just… ignore it, forget you ever heard about magic, and… and m-me… and just go on living a normal life… and you wouldn't ever have to worry about loosing control of the power. It would stay locked away inside you.'

'Tara.' Willow reached out and gently placed her hand on the other girl's knee, causing Tara to raise her eyes and meet her gaze. 'I don't want to forget. I… can't forget. Certainly not after everything that has happened these last few days. The power is in me. And when I feel it, I… I feel… just… wow, you know?'

Tara blushed. 'I-I know.'

'So no, I want to keep going.' Uncertainty crept into her voice as continued, 'do… do you?'

Tara nodded her head yes, her hair bobbing adorably. Willow gently stroked her thumb along the curve of the other girl's knee, not really realising she was doing it. 'Good.' Willow smiled. 'We'll be careful. And we have Mr. Giles now. He… he might be able to help us. Make sure we don't make any mistakes.'

'I don't think he is very adept at magic,' Tara replied. 'He said he knows a little, but I sense it's more… knowledge… than actual talent.'

'You can sense that?'

'Kind of,' Tara said, trying to be modest. 'It's… I can sense magical energy in people. A-auras. His is… well… not very strong. Magically.'

'Wow,' Willow said, gazing in admiration at her friend. 'You never mentioned that before.'

Tara ducked her head to hide behind her hair. 'I didn't w-want you to think I was a f-freak. Spells are one thing, that's like… science, almost. But seeing a-auras is… weird.'

Willow shook her head, 'It's not weird. It's amazing. You're amazing.'

'N-not really. It's not like I had to l-learn it. I was just… born with it.'

'What's it like?' Willow asked, ever the curious student.

'It's… like colours.'

'Colours?'

'It's not very specific,' Tara tried to explain. 'It's like I see colours. Faintly. And the colours mean different things, kind of.'

'What do they mean?'

'It depends on the colour, and the shade. It can be hard to read. But I can see peoples magical aptitude… knowledge… that kind of thing.'

'Wait.' Willow stopped stroking Tara's knee as a thought hit her. 'If you can see auras and stuff, why couldn't you tell that… err… that girl was a V-vampire last night?' Willow couldn't help stumbling on the word vampire, not at all used to using that in a sentence.

'L-like I said, it's hard to r-read sometimes.' Tara thought for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain it. 'Auras aren't just one colour. It's like a rainbow, but it all bleeds into one. Vampires, Witches, other… D-demons, all have some kind of magical energy, but it's not easy to differentiate between them. It's practically impossible. The shade depicts the strength of that attribute, but it doesn't tell me… I can't tell if a person is a Vampire or a Witch. I just know they have an affinity for magic, in some form. Does… that make sense?'

'Yeah, I think I get it.' There was a moment's pause. 'Can I ask you… something personal?'

Tara's eyes widened nervously. She swallowed and gave a slight nod.

'Why… why did you go outside with the Vampire? Did she… like grab you or something?'

Tara blushed furiously, but being hidden by her hair, it was hard for Willow to tell. There was an even longer pause as Tara tried not to let anything in her voice betray her when she replied, 'y-yes… she… I was… g-going to the t-toilet and… she just… g-grabbed m-me.'

Willow frowned. She knew Tara very well, knew her enough to tell when she wasn't being entirely honest. For one, she stuttered much worse when she was nervous, and she hadn't been that nervous around Willow for a long time. The fact that Tara had barely been able to get through that "sentence" was enough for Willow to smell a lie. But she was also aware that Tara would never lie to her about anything really serious. If her friend didn't want to tell her why she had gone outside with the Vampire, she wasn't going to push. Besides, Willow was pretty sure she knew the real reason anyway, and that… that was something she was still struggling to come to terms with herself.

'One more question?' Willow asked, changing the subject.

Tara didn't quite trust her voice, so she just nodded again.

'Can you sense my magical talent?'

Tara parted her hair to look at her, the seriousness of the question banishing most of her nerves and embarrassment. 'Yes.'

'And?' Willow was eager to know.

'I've never met anyone as… as magically strong as you.'

 

Giles parked his car a block away from The Bronze. Faith had told him that this was where all the kids liked to hang out, so he was hoping that he would be able to find Buffy here. She had also told him he was nuts for even trying to find her, but he had chosen to ignore that.

Locking the car door behind him, he started to walk towards the old warehouse that housed the club, going over what he could possibly say to the girl when he found her. Faith was right to question him, after all. He could only hope that Buffy had calmed down enough to hear him out. He was certain that if she would, he could convince her of the benefits of trusting him. Buffy's pending expulsion was common knowledge at Sunnydale High, and if she cared at all about her education, he was hoping the Council's pull would be all the motivation she needed to listen to him.

Between dropping off Faith at home and setting out to look for Buffy, the sun had fallen below the horizon, and left only the moon and the stars to illuminate the night. Feeling the oppressive darkness, and knowing the danger that lurked in it, Giles reached into his back pocket to feel the reassuring stake wedged there, not to mention his always on hand belt full of potions, bottled magic supplied by the Council's most trusted witch.

He was nearing the front of the warehouse when he heard the scuffle, the crash of a trashcan being knocked over, the ringing thud of flesh against a steel wall. There was no scream, but Giles didn't need that to be suspicious. The sound came from the alley at the back of the club, so he cut down the side to reach the source quickly.

One look at the situation told him everything he needed to know. A male Vampire held Buffy Summers up against the wall with one hand, whilst she scratched and clawed at his arm, kicking with her legs, trying desperately to break free, her eyes nearly popping from her head as she tried to breathe. The Vampire smiled at his prey, amused, a scratch down one cheek.

Giles' entrance was not as stealthy as he would have liked, alerting the Vampire to his presence. The bold headed bloodsucker turned to growl at him, as if hoping to scare him off. Instead, he reached behind for his stake, pulling it free and holding it before him warningly. He half hoped the Vampire would run just at the sight of a stake, and a man who clearly knew what he was doing.

Of course, he was denied that hope. The Vampire tossed Buffy away like a rag doll, and she crashed into a pile of garbage bags left at the side of the dumpster, gasping air into her lungs and coughing.

As the Demon took a step towards him, Giles calculated his odds. The Vampire was tall, lean and muscular, which meant that he was most likely going to be a tough opponent to deal with hand to hand, more so than a normal Vampire at least. That meant he would need to rely on his limited potions to get the job done. He couldn't afford to make a single mistake here, or he - and in turn Buffy - would be dead. With his other hand, Giles reached for his first potion.

The Vampire pounced. Giles dodged to the side and smashed the potion on the ground. A cloud of smoke erupted, giving him enough time to retreat back a few more steps. He ran his hand along his belt, feeling each notch in the leather, each symbol telling him the corresponding spell. He found the one he wanted and pulled it free, holding it up. As soon as his assailant came stumbling out of the smog, Giles tossed the potion at his face. Flames burst into life, but the Vampire was too fast, and managed to get his hands up to protect his face. Even so, the damage was heavy, and the Vampire reeled backwards, screaming as his arms burned.

Cursing his luck, Giles had to revise his strategy. He had three light potions, but they were useless in this situation. It would not only blind his opponent, but himself as well, and he wouldn't have enough time to escape with Buffy. His remaining potions included a shield spell, a five second freeze spell, and a force spell. The shield spell was limited to blocking only one strike. It could be used as a precautionary measure, though. The freeze spell wouldn't work, because the Vampire would be encased in ice for the duration, and thus would be protected from staking. As for the force spell, he couldn't see what good would come of flinging the Demon across the alley.

As the Vampire rounded on him, flaming arms extended, reading to charge, Giles could only think of one plan. It was very risky, but it was his only hope. He grabbed the shield spell and smashed it against his chest. As the Vampire went to grab him with burning hands, they hit an invisible wall and rebounded, knocking him slightly off balance. Giles had one chance now. He plunged the stake into the Vampire's burly chest, aiming for the heart.

The Vamp roared, and then backhanded Giles across the face.

Giles felt his flesh sear as he was struck to the ground. Groggily, he looked up as the Vampire glowered down at him, stake still sticking from his chest. Realisation struck home. The stake was on target, but he lacked the strength to drive it all the way through and into the heart.

Only, that was just partially true. As the Vampire went to grab him again, Giles grabbed the force potion from his belt and slammed his palm, and the potion, into the end of the stake. The Vampire was thrown backwards, turning to dust in mid air, and blown away in the breeze.

Relief flooded through Giles. He had to take a moment before he could pull himself to his feet. When he did, he found Buffy kneeling on the floor, staring at him with a stunned expression on her face.

'Are you okay, Miss Summers?'

Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She shook her head. 'What… the fuck… was that?'

'It's a long story. I'll tell you all about it, but not here.' Giles made his way over to Buffy and offered her a hand. She ignored it and pushed off the ground to climb to her feet.

'No, tell me now!'

'You really want to stick around and wait for another Vampire to show up?' Giles asked her pointedly.

Buffy gave him a look of disbelief.

'My car is just around the corner. I'll tell you everything while I drive you home.'

There was another moment of silence as Buffy debated with herself. Finally, she took a lung full of air and pushed it out, and then said, 'fine.'


End file.
